The Sovereign's Resurgence
by JollyBritishChap
Summary: 2 years after the fall of Helios, Mewni is now in an era of peace, rebuilding and prosperity. But now after 2 years a new threat emerges from the shadows as a group loyal to Helios hatches a plan to seek revenge on Mewni. Can Star/Marco and Tom/Tamia survive this new threat? Or will Helios have the last laugh in the end? Final story of The Princess and her Knight series.
1. Chapter 1

**The Sovereign's Resurgence**

**Chapter 1-Memory and Fallout**

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The ground rocked with tremendous force, it's furious shaking forcing the already weakening walls of Butterfly castle to crumble. Forcing them to give way as it felt to all those inside as if at any moment, the ground beneath their feet would split open and swallow the castle whole. It's occupants were not concerned with that however, the crumbling foundations and the roaring sounds of destruction and chaos in the air being barely noticed by the enemies which were locked in their final death struggle for the Mewnian capital.

An 18 year old girl, stood in a set of armoured leather trousers which were a deep red colour, a matching leather tunic over her upper half with 4 small daggers placed two at each side secured nicely in black sheathes. Her radiant and shimmering, blood red hair glowed brightly as it cascaded down to her lower-back like a waterfall, the light seemed to dance off it as it glowed brilliantly in the space. Her eyes matching the intense glow of her hair, her iris' having turned a deep red and shone out like beacons as she stood her ground against her opponent.

What truly completed her impressive and intimidating appearance however were the pair of angelic wings which stretched from her back and were crafted from beautiful red and orange flames which gently swayed and crackled as the wings gently moved as she commanded them without effort.

She stood defiant, angered in the way that only comes from the deepest feelings of betrayal and sorrow. She stood against a man who had made her feel only the worst in her life, a man who had turned her mother against her and a man who had slaughtered thousands in cold blood to attain power and so called "glory". She felt sick to her stomach to even look at him, and even more sick to look at him knowing one simple undeniable fact. The man she faced, was her father.

He stood in a regal and slim black military uniform. It's typical finery and awards had been abandoned so as to better suit active warfare. Where most of his troops and officers had worn steel breast plates which defended them from attack. He had opted instead for a series of metal plates that were sewn into his uniform so that they are nearly unnoticeable unless you were actually trying to look for them. This made him quick and more flexible which suited this tyrant's typical style of combat. His face was handsome by all means, aside from a long scar which travelled down from his left eyebrow to just above his glowing crimson sun cheekmarks.

His own eyes glowed a crimson red with marks of crimson suns adorning his cheeks which shone with an intense light as roaring flames circled his position. He smiled a sinister and cruel smile, chuckling to himself as the flames danced and flicked around him, slight movements of his arm causing them to flicker and spiral at his command. The chuckle from his lips grew as he stared into his daughter's hate filled eyes, he saw in her all the years of boiling hatred that had built up inside of her, focused on only him. Her only target and only goal was to see him pay for everything she thought he had done to her. If only she could see how wrong she truly was, it was for her...all of it had been for her. Why could she not see that?

But he knew he had no choice anymore, whatever daughter he had once known had now gone and now all that stood before him was an enemy. A new and dangerous foe that challenged his right to rule, and he would answer the challenge regardless. "It seems that my daughter really did die all those years ago" he uttered in a cruel and dismissive tone, but he couldn't help but feel in himself some sorrow behind it. This girl had once been his child after all. "All I can see before my eyes is a traitor, and you should know by now that traitors.." he paused and brought his left hand up. A small crimson flame floating gently in it. She watched as the flame in his palm began to shrink in size but also take the shape of what appeared to almost be a teardrop.

She could feel the intense heat as the flame began to grow hotter and hotter, turning from crimson red into a nearly pure white inferno which illuminated the massive space of the Butterfly castle. "Farewell Tamia my dearest child, be sure to send my love to your mother" he spoke as he moved his hand in front of him, palm outwards and facing the awaiting Tamia and in a moment a great mass of white flames shot from his palm.

**Lucitor Citadel-Grand Lucitor Union (Two years later)**

Tamia awoke with a gasp of air, the dream...once again that same dream of the final time she had seen her father was present in her mind. The nightmares came often of that final struggle with the tyrant that had once given her life and whose powers and blood flowed through her body. It was always that blinding light that woke her. The heat and intensity of the flames and the blinding light that shone from them as Helvete had resolved to kill his only child in his crusade to annihilate the Butterfly Family and subjugate Mewni.

He had almost succeeded. That was what had stuck with Tamia the most. That madman and the armies of the Helios empire had subjugated or annihilated almost the entirety of Mewni with the exception of the Johansen Kingdom and a few outlying villages and tribes which mattered very little in the grand scheme of things. It had only been for the monumental efforts of Star, Marco, Her beloved Tom and herself that had stopped him in his tracks, destroying him in the centre of the kingdom he despised so much. 'It'd be poetic if it hadn't involved so much death and suffering' Tamia thought to herself as she took in her surroundings. She sighed with relief as the shock began to wear off from the night terror and she was once again able to fully recognize where she was and, more importantly, that she was safe.

She pulled herself up and sat up in the bed, her back resting gently against the headboard as she took in her surroundings. The master bedroom of the Lucitor citadel, a grand space from when Tom's mother and father had occupied it, the tall ceilings a constant reminder of the sheer size of the demon that was Tom's mother. Not that Tamia really had to worry about impressing in-laws like most girlfriend's did. They had seen to that when Tom's parents had turned against Mewni and had thrown their lot in with Helvete for land and power. Ponyhead never quite let Tom or Tamia forget about that anytime they encountered one another.

'I suppose you can't blame her' Tamia thought to herself as she casually swept her silky red hair away from her eyes and she shifted in the bed until her legs dangled over the edge and her tiptoes touched the warm granite flooring below. 'Helvete did kill her dad after all' the thought continued, Tamia ensuring that even in her mind she never referred to that monster as anything like 'Dad'. He'd thrown away the chance of having that title long, long ago in her eyes.

She stood to her feet and began walking over to the dressing table in the corner of the room. It was a quaint little table with a small sink in it's centre filled with crystal clear water. A large mirror fitted just above that which was just large enough to show most of the room, save for the ceiling as the room was simply too high for that. She looked into the mirror and took notice of her face. Not much had changed in two years, aside from she'd cut her hair slightly shorter, it only hung down to her upper back now. She took hold of a nearby brush and began to brush the knots out of her hair, she was rather blessed when it came to her long hair, miraculously it never formed that many, even in her sleep. Once she was done her mind suddenly noted her Boyfriend's absence.

Tamia looked towards the bed and sure enough, Tom wasn't there. Tamia sighed and a small chuckle escaped her lips as she knew exactly where the Lucitor king was. She looked up from his spot on their bed and sure enough, there he was. Sleep floating just below the high ceilings of the bedroom. She couldn't help but laugh everytime she woke up to see him like this. It wasn't the strangest part about their relationship, but it was up there. She sighed and reached into the left drawer of her dressing table, pulling out a small plush toy which resembled Buff frog which she'd picked up randomly during her last visit to Mewni, thinking it was kinda cute.

A sly smile formed across her face as she took aim at Tom's sleeping form, she held her arm in place for a few moments, making minor adjustments for the perfect shot. Shifting in her chair and motioning the throw with her arm to ensure she had an optimum shot. When she was absolutely sure that she had the perfect shot, she coiled back and launched to the toy from her hand. It hurtled towards Tom's sleeping form at speed. Just as Tamia thought she'd made a perfect headshot however, Tom's right hand shot up and he effortlessly caught the toy in mid air, after which his three eyes opened wide and he looked down from his perch towards Tamia, a rather pleased with himself grin plastered across his face.

Tamia faked a pout, and in a mock whined up to the King "That's not fair, you were just waiting for me to throw it, that's cheating". Tom just chuckled aloud as he floated himself down until his red eyes came into line with Tamia's crimson ones. "Well, if you do it everytime it's gonna get a little predictable yknow" he teases as he places a gentle hand under her chin. "Besides, you take too long to aim" he chuckles. Before Tamia can reply to this quip, Tom placed a small, soft kiss onto her lips, silencing her words and drawing her into a loving embrace. 'Dammit' she thought to herself 'He knows I can't be mad at him when he's like this..not fair'.

When the kiss broke the couple smiled sweetly at one another before Tamia lightly flicked the end of Tom's nose, making him cover it with his hand and back up slightly. "That's for not playing fair, now cmon, we've gotta get dressed it's a busy day today" she said with a playfully bossy tone to her voice as she turned back to face the mirror on her dressing table. Tom nodded and quickly floated over towards his closet, the doors opening with a quick motion as the Lucitor king approached, revealing the miniscule amount of outfits the couple had between them. Neither one of them really wanting to dress formally unless it was necessary.

However today was unfortunately not a day to be relaxing in whatever they fancied. Today they were to look their best and give the impression of a true ruling couple as they'd be attending yet another formal council with the leaders of the other kingdoms that had been all too common in post-war Mewni. The meetings dragged alot, Tom and Tamia only being saved from total boredom by their casual conversations with Marco and Star that would occur in the middle of the long and dreary meetings. It was doubtless going to another trumped up affair with the Magical high commission attempting to pass some new law or complain about some new use of magic within the kingdoms.

'Although' Tom thought to himself as he pulled on his black undershirt which fit snugly over his body and was made from an incredibly soft, silky material that kept the king warm in the occasionally harsh winds of Mewni. Tom was obviously much more used to the warmth of the underworld so cold weather really didn't do it for him. 'It certainly beats Ponyhead's attitude at the moment, I'd rather be bored than insulted all the time' the thought continued in his head as images of the past meetings came to mind one after the other.

At first Ponyhead had been severely depressed, unable to really rule the kingdom in any realistic way and would often retreat into her room, surrounding herself in snacks and Korean dramas. But recently she had been crawling out of her well of self pity and despair, only to end up in another one which seemed to be filled with a bottomless source of anger, pain and hatred. Most of those emotions were aimed squarely at Tom and Tamia. Ponyhead it seems, not matter how much she denied it and how much Star and Marco tried to vouch for her, certainly blamed the Lucitor couple for her father's death.

Tom wasn't unsympathetic, far from it, they'd all lost something or someone in the war without exception. But Ponyhead was in the unique position of having Tamia's father kill her own, and Tom's parent's had helped him enslave her kingdom. Even after the downfall and death Helvete and the Lucitors, it seemed Ponyhead was not satisfied and the Lucitor and Ponyhead kingdom's were now at their lowest point of friendliness in centuries. 'I just hope it doesn't lead to anything worse than a few name calling incidents' Tom thought for a moment. His mind turned to worse scenarios and their possible outcomes when it came to the Ponyhead Kingdom.

It wasn't until he felt a light tap on his shoulder that he was sprung from these thoughts with a jump and a surprised gasp as he turned around in an instant. He was met only with a giggling Tamia, who was now poking fun at him because he'd been so jumpy. "Jeez hun, you really were miles away, you haven't even finished changing yet, I was asking if you could zip up my dress for ages" she laughed pointing to the pair of black, military style trousers in his hand which had clearly been clenched in his grasp for some time by now. Tom blushed slightly and began to quickly pull on his trousers before zipping Tamia's dress up until reaching a small clasp at the back that was little more than a simple hook which he hooked in properly, finishing off his girlfriend's ensemble before he then attempted to assemble his own outfit as best he could as he watched Tamia turn to reveal what she had picked out in all it's glory.

Tamia was beautifully dressed in a long, flowing red dress with a fine, golden trim on it's outer hems which looked like golden flames which climbed up the edges of the dress to around her ankle level. She also wore a small, golden crown with an oval cut Sunstone in it's centre which shone brightly and was surrounded by twelve strips of shimmering Golden Beryl which gently shimmered as the light caught them. The gemstone arrangement forming the image of a twelve ray sun which had become the symbol of the Grand Lucitor Union.

Tamia's long flowing red hair cascaded down her back to meet her dress and she had put very light waves in it which only made it seem more angelic and perfect. To Tom there was no more beautiful sight in this or any other dimension, and he was the happiest demon in the underworld knowing that they had found each other. Even if it was in pretty grim circumstances at the time. Tom stopped his staring for long enough to assemble his basic Lucitor military uniform which was worn to most occasions where he was required to look somewhat formal. Next he began the long and annoying process of attempting to fix all of the additonal finery and awards that were required to be worn during more important events like these boring meetings with the Magical high commission.

Tamia watched him struggle for a moment with a giggle before sighing and began to fix his medals and orders to his chest herself. She then turned her attention to his aiguillette which was affixed to his left shoulder with a small hook on the end of the braided, beautiful golden rope which decorated his uniform further and showed off his high status to his army and anyone else who happened to lay eyes on him. Once she'd finished she picked up his crown off a small, plush purple pillow which sat on a marble pillar, before gently placing it on his head. The crown matched her own in the decoration for the most part. However it was larger and was also lined along the rim with a white fur which distinguished his crown from that of the Queen's.

"Do we really have to go?" Tom moaned as Tamia gave him a sympathetic look "I mean we never get anything done besides catch up with Star and Marco or get yelled at by Ponyhead" he pointed out before muttering under his breath "..usually both.." in a slightly bitter tone. Tamia just smiled "Yes we do, we're the king and queen of the union and we have to attend" she told him before she sang "besides, I hear Marco and Star have some news for us all this time". Tom chuckled to himself and looked at his wife with a smile that only told him he was thinking something he shouldn't "Bet you a bag of gold that he's knocked her up" he said with a grin. Tamia at first pretended to looked shocked he would even make such a bet, but he saw right through that in an instant. So she thought for a moment before nodding and extending her hand to Tom's to shake on it "You're on, I bet they've finalised the wedding day" she grinned with a confident chuckle. Tom nodded before taking out a pair of dimensional scissors and the pair stepped through the portal together.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

In the Butterfly Kingdom, the sun crept slowly over the mountains of Mewni which lined the kingdom's borders. Illuminating the forests and plains and turning the kingdom's flowing waters into golden pools and streams which criss crossed the landscape and twinkled with unworldly beauty. The sky glowed a bright and dazzling orange hue which faded into a deep purple the higher up you looked as the planets overhead came into view.

The great towers and dazzling walls of Butterfly castle glittered majestically as the sunlight hit them. The multi-coloured rooftops splashed with vibrant orange, blue, white and pink hues as the sunlight seemed to give the castle a radiant glow and beautiful aura. The castle, left in ruins after Helvete's devastating invasion and it's destruction during the final climactic battle which had cost the tyrant his wretched life, was now fully repaired and restored to it's former glory that had previously taken hundreds of years worth of past queens to build.

In the city below, life for the Mewmans commenced the same as it had done for hundreds of years and hundreds of thousands of mornings before this one. Farmers left their homes and made for the fields to tend to the, frankly ridiculously large, corn crops that Mewni had grown famous for. Merchants began to unlock their stores and vendors, carrying out heavy boxes full of wares and arranging displays with surgical precision, as if the slightest change could mean the difference between a sale or a loss.

Outside the Barracks and along the guardtowers and gatehouses of the mighty stone walls of Mewni which stood as a bulwark against any would be attacker that would dare stand against the kingdom, guards switched shifts as the night watchmen trudged tiredly down to their awaiting beds, exhausted from their long night of staring out over the dark landscape of Mewni and the new watchmen replaced them with fresh faces and well rested eyes. The walls of the Butterfly Kingdom themselves had recently been augmented with newer technologies to make the capital city near impregnable. The citizens of the kingdom were determined that never again would they allow such a disaster to occur like they had seen under Helvete's invasion of their homeland.

The war had taught them much and forced them to improve a great many things about the kingdom's self defence. Like the artillery pieces which had been installed at the top of each tower, overlooking the landscape with their devastating power and range which could deter any foe from attempting to assail the walls of the mighty kingdom. The soldiers on the wall were well drilled and disciplined, trained and armed at the crown's expense and taking on the lessons learned from the conflict to develop new tactics and drills which had crafted them into a formidable fighting force.

A detachment of men exited the barracks and formed up smartly in three ranks of six on the road just outside. A couple of onlookers stopped to watch on their way to work to see the guard commander exit the barracks. He wore a fine uniform which was as blue as the ocean itself, his name embroidered across his left breast in bold, block capitals which were etched in white thread so as to contrast well with the deep colour of the uniform. On his right breast was the symbol of the Palace Guards which was displayed as a pair of crossed broadswords surrounded by a laurel wreath, all of which was stitched into the uniform in beautiful golden thread.

On his right arm, also stitched into the fabric in brilliant gold thread was a golden crescent moon surrounded by a laurel wreath which seemed to shield the moon from all sides, signifying the man as a Senior Squire 2nd class, the second highest rank of the squires of the Mewnian army. He was still a far cry from even being recognised as a knight, but he'd certainly earned a place of command. He stood in front of the awaiting line of still, silent troops so that they could all see him and he could easily stare into the whites of their eyes as he prepared to take command of the squadron.

"Palace Guard! 'Shun!" he yelled with a booming voice of command which immediately caused all of the squires to come to attention with a loud thud as their boots crashed to the ground with the movement. The guard commander paused for a second before making his second command "Palace Guard! Move to the right in threes! right! turn!" He yelled once more, his voice differing in volume across the command with the final "turn" being the loudest part of the order. Immediately each of the squires turned on the spots they stood on, keeping their arms held into their sides neatly as their trained-in iron discipline took it's effect, until they were now facing their immediate right.

The guard commander copied the movements of his previous command to complete his own turn, however he turned to his left so that he was facing the same direction as his squadron. "Palace Guard!By the centre! Quick! March!". As he spoke that last command the squadron, starting on the left foot, began to march towards the looming Butterfly Castle which formed the skyline of Mewni. Their boots struck the ground heel first making a rhythmic stomping noise as they marched smartly towards their duty.

The bystanders who had been watching the soldier's movements with interest, now dispersed and began to go about their lives once more as the sound of bootheels thundered off into the distance towards Butterfly Castle to relieve their comrades of their night watches.

Inside of the castle, Star Butterfly giggled to herself as she watched Marco lightly snoring in bed, a small stream of drool just peaking out from his open mouth. She had always been an early riser and as such had already been up, gotten washed, dressed and ready for the day's events before coming back to find that Marco had barely stirred from how she left him. 'He's so cute when he sleeps, buuut I do need you awake Marco Diaz' she thought to herself for a moment before leaning down and placing a soft kiss onto his cheek and gently whispering into his ear.

"Marcoooo, Time to get up" she sang with a cheery voice as the boy began to stir with a murmur which, despite his sleepy and mumbly voice, Star heard quite clearly as "Star, don't hog the nachos". Star nearly burst out laughing at this small glance into his dream and decided to have a little fun with him. "I'm not gonna share my nachos unless you get up sleepyhead" she teased which caused him to stir once more with a still tired "hmmpff no fair" as his eyes began to flicker open and in doing so he caught a glimpse of Star with a mischievous smile on her face.

His eyes opened wide in realisation that he had been talking in his sleep and his face immediately turned a shade of red that matched his distinctive red hoodie. Star began laughing much louder now as she saw her trick had worked and that he was now both awake, and adorably embarrassed. "Morning Marco" she said sweetly between giggles "Was it a nice dream?" she asked as she gave him a sly look which only further increased his embarrassment. He hid his reddened face under the blanket and through the muffle of the soft fabric he replied with a muttered "Well it was till you started hogging all the food".

This just made Star laugh again as she sat down on the bed beside him and gently coaxed him to lower the blanket before cupping his cheek gently with her left hand. "oh Marco, Marco, Marco" she said with a loving voice "I'd always share my Nachos with you" she finished before planting a kiss onto his lips which he happily melted into, wrapping his arms around her waist as hers wrapped around behind his neck, both of them being temporarily lost in the kiss until breaking away mostly for air.

Giggling in the aftermath of the kiss, Star unwrapped her hands from around Marco and tugged on his right arm to drag him out of the bed. "Cmon Marco, you gotta go get ready for the meeting today, you've been in bed long enough" she said as she struggled to drag him from the covers, as he'd grown older it was clear he'd also become much stronger than she was, at least physically anyway. She still won every time they duelled each other for training, a fact her competitive self was immensely proud of.

After a few of watching her struggling to move drag him from the bed, Marco chuckling as she did so, he relented with a quick "Okay, okay Star, I'm getting up" causing her to let go of his arm and smile widely in victory as he hauled himself from the bed until he stood up just on his side of the bed. The marble floor below him made him flinch slightly as his feet took in the cold sensation of the ground but within moments he had risen to his feet and was now walking shirtless to the bathroom to wash himself in preparation for the day.

Star couldn't help herself but to admire him a little as he walked, he wasn't quite his muscular self from Hekapoo's dimension but he was certainly getting there that was for sure. She blushed lightly as she caught herself staring before she turned away to leave the room and head down to the dining hall for her breakfast. It would be a long day after all with her assisting Queen Moon more and more these days, and this one would be no different.

Queen Moon had unfortunately not fared well from her own battles with Helvete. The tyrannical emperor had brutally and without hesitation torn the Queen's wings from her back in a sadistic display of cruelty which the entire Butterfly Kingdom, especially the royal family, had paid witness to. The after effects couldn't have been known to anyone, such an event had never happened in the entire history of the Butterfly Family. Unfortunately for Moon, it appears that the effects of such an event were drastic indeed.

Granted, the Queen was already in her mid-forties by now, but her health had seriously declined since that day and was only growing worse as the months passed. She had began to age rather rapidly and it was certainly possible for you to mistake her for being in her late-fifties to early-sixties as wrinkles had began to show much more prominently on her skin which had faded in colour ever so slightly, making the queen appear pale by comparison to how she had previously looked. Her long, pale blue hair had now began to show signs of ageas the blue slowly began to give way to grey and white hues, although it was still in a well kept and silky state, if only with slightly less colour to it now.

She also had begun walking with the aid of a wooden staff which was about her height, thin and coloured a pure and dazzling white. At it's tip was an intricate carving of a crown which formed a ring around a ocean-blue, spherical cut sapphire gemstone which was sat neatly in the centre. Her movement had certainly slowed but she was no less majestic and graceful than she had been before. Although as queen it was quite clear she could only really attend to the more administrative side of ruling the kingdom. This allowed her to sit down and relax her the aches and pains that now plagued her body in the aftermath of war.

Star was therefore trusted and relied upon to carry out the ceremonial and more active elements of Mewnian rule in her mother's place, effectively preparing her for her own future rule of Mewni one day as her experience in command had already grown significantly across the past two years. Marco's as well, as he continued his previously held command of Mewni's armies under his newly bestowed title 'Knight-Commander of the Mewnian army' A title he secretly loved the ring of in his head.

Star sighed as she sat down to breakfast, her mother and father were already there. Both of them greeted Star as she came in, although it has to be said that River had done so without swallowing his food first causing him to spray bits of bread, bacon and sausage across his portion of the table with each word. Moon quietly reminded him with a loving but stern voice "River, swallow before you talk to people!", River shamefully apologised and attempted to eat slightly more neatly, which was definitely not his natural habitat. Star just giggled at her father's strange antics before sitting down as one of the servants brought her this morning's meal with a formal bow and a polite "Good morning your Highness" as he did so.

Star thanked the servant and then turned to her mother, who sat in her usual place at the head of the table. "So mum, besides that Mewni council meeting do I have anything else to cover today?" Star asked with some small hope that Moon would say no. Moon looked up from her breakfast with a knowing smile towards her daughter "Nothing beyond what's needed for that announcement of yours" she spoke with a teasing tone to her voice causing Star to blush slightly, this only made moon chuckle to herself as she continued eating and pausing only to speak further.

"How do you think they'll take it?" the queen enquired as Star shifted nervously at the question. "Well...Eclipsa and Globgor will be overjoyed, the Magical high commission will probably be happy for us but not really care in the grand scheme of things" she said as she thought about just how many similar announcements they must've heard in their immortal lives, it probably gets boring and mundane to them after a while. 'What a depressing thought' she thought to herself before continuing to answer her mother's question. "Tom and Tamia will also be super happy I guess, the one I'm worried about it Ponyhead" Star finished with some worry present in her voice as much as nervousness over the announcement.

Queen Moon saw the concern on her daughters face and a sympathetic expression crossed her face. "We all lost things that we hold dear in the war Star, Ponyhead more than most of us, Just try to be patient with her dear, she'll come around in time" she reassured her daughter as she gave a small smile which Star returned, a hopeful look now drawing across her face. "Thanks mum" she responded before looking down to actually concentrate on her food for a while. Today was certainly going to be a long day. 'That' Star thought 'Is for certain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-Scars of the Past**

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

It was now verging onto the hour of 10 o'clock and Marco Diaz and Star Butterfly, having now finished breakfast and Marco having taken his typical 'Way too long to get ready', now awaited the arrival of their guests. This was not a grand and massive affair by any means, the entrance to the castle had been connected to the gate by a long, smooth, royal purple carpet which was just about wide enough for two people to walk down without stepping onto the cobblestone of the courtyard between the castle doors and it's gatehouse.

Additional soldiers lined the route up towards the entrance of the castle itself, all dressed in their ceremonial uniforms which were impractical in a fight, however they gave an impression of iron discipline and regal bearing which is what events such as this certainly required. They had been evenly arranged so as to appear neat and pleasing to the eye as the guests of the Butterfly family would pass by them on their entrance to the mighty and beautiful castle.

The ceremonial uniform consisted of a thin, navy blue tunic, with gold trim and a pair of navy blue trousers which tucked into black boots which shone like mirrors with all the hours of polishing that had clearly been put into them by the men. Overlaying the tunic was a highly polished and gleaming breastplate manufactured from the finest Mewnian steel money could buy, and these being ceremonial breastplates, they had been decorated with fine patterns of vines which outlined an embossment of a large Butterfly in the centre which seemed to sparkle majestically as the blazing Mewnian sunlight hit it.

The soldiers currently had their swords nestled within the black-leather scabbards with golden chape at it's end which hung from their waists. The handles of the swords were crafted from finest gold with blue thread running down the grip of the weapon in a simple coil pattern and the guards were of a rapier design with the golden guards being decorated by embossed vines all meeting at the shape of a butterfly at the base of the pommel.

Marco and Star were stood just in front of the entrance to the castle, stood before the mighty oakwood doors upon which was carved with the symbols of every queen of Mewni which had ever stepped through them. They were an impressive sight to behold, although the same could easily be said for the rest of the restored and brand new Butterfly castle. Many things had remained extraordinarily similar, however much had been improved upon and refined to the point of the castle now being one of the most picturesque sights across all dimensions.

"You think they'll be happy for us?" Marco nervously whispered to Star who shot him a hopeful look from the corner of her eye. "I'm sure they will, they're our friends Marco, we've been through everything with them" she took his hand in her own and their fingers gently intertwined as the contact helped to calm both of their nerves, knowing they were together through it no matter what. "Let's try not to worry about this okay? Whatever their reaction, this is us we're talking about here okay?" she reassured him with a loving smile which he could only match as he looked into her shimmering and sapphire-like blue eyes. He nodded happily and the two, their hands still intertwined, looked forwards as a bright orange portal manifested itself just before the gatehouse.

The portal remained still for a few moments, it's swirling magical vortex illuminating the nearby space with a pale orange light and it's edges sparking away slightly as the mass of magical energy span in it's place. However soon enough a figure made it's way through, the first guest to arrive at the meeting was Hekapoo, as if the bright orange portal hadn't already given the appearance of the portal master of the magical high commission away. She smiled her signature mischievous grin as she laid eyes upon the royal couple, giving a small wave which each of them returned with a smile of their own.

Hekapoo wasn't alone however and after a few seconds came the mumbling and consistently nervously paranoid cystalline body of Rhombulous. The two snakes which functioned as his hands holding up a crystal ball which displayed the image of Omnitraxus who could be clearly heard giving constant warnings for the crystalline creature to be careful. A nagging that was obviously starting to take it's toll as he temporarily lost his cool for a second. "Shut up Omni! I'm not gonna drop your stupid ball!" he yelled at the face inside the clear crystal. This outburst was met with scorn by Hekapoo who wheeled round in an instant and yelled at Rhombulus "Hey! You wanna maybe try keeping it civil you two? This isn't us showing up for a casual chat yknow!" she warned which caused both of them to stop arguing immediately.

As Hekapoo turned back to continue her walk up the road, Rhombulus couldn't stop himself from taking the opportunity to voice his opinion once more. "..Jerk.." he muttered under his breath, a voice which Hekapoo immediately picked up on and it caused her to look back at him in anger, her eyes narrowed as she stared him down. Rhombulus gulped nervously and Hekapoo simply pointed at him and, with a harsh tone as if punishing a child, yelled "You're in the time out corner when we get in there, 30 minutes!".

Rhombulus stomped towards the castle in a huff "That's not fair!" he grumbled, clearly not learning his lesson about muttering under his breath and Hekepoo just responded by scolding him again "One hour! Wanna try for two?" she threatened. This threat finally shut the crystalline being up and he carried the crystal ball into Butterfly Castle with a child-like expression of anger. Marco and Star looked on at the exchange between the commission members with an amused smirk on each of their faces. Hekapoo approached them and apologised for Rhombulus. "He's been acting like this ever since imprisoning monsters without proper cause became illegal, he just needs to get a hobby or something I think" she said with a shrug as she followed behind the other commission members to enter the castle.

A few moments after the Magical high commission members had arrived, in what had been a argumentative and undignified fashion, the next portal had appeared at the gates of Butterfly castle. This one acted in a similar fashion to Hekapoo's, however the magical energy that formed the gateway was now blue, indicating it had been cut with a plain old, regular pair of dimensional scissors. After a few seconds a young couple stepped through the portal, one of them dressed in a long, flowing crimson-red dress with a beautiful and finely stitched, golden trim on it's outer edges. From the bottom of the skirt of the dress the golden trim seemed to trail upwards in shapes which looked like golden flames which climbed up the dress to around her ankle level. She also wore a small, golden crown with an oval cut Sunstone in it's centre which glowed brightly in the golden sunlight that shone down onto it.

The other sported a slim, black military uniform which had red silk sewn over the hems of the outfit, not only disguising the sewing marks of the uniform but also adding a nice contrast to the dark ensemble. On his chest was pinned a small series of highly polished medals with multi-coloured ribbons denoting different honours and recognitions that he had earned over the years, especially in his own part in the great war for Mewni. On his right shoulder was a golden weave which sat, pinned to the uniform as a form of epilate as an aguillette trailed down from it, under his right arm and reaching a low point just below his chest before rising back up and pinned into place just onto his uniform's lapel.

It couldn't be more obvious to Star and Marco that this was the arrival of the King and Queen of the Grand Lucitor Union, Tom and Tamia. Marco drew his own sword with his right hand and drew it across his front until the flat of the blade was positioned just in front of his nose with his hand gripping the handle at his chest height. He then brought the sword down as his arm rested by his side, elbow at a perfect right angle in order to display the weapon clearly before he commanded to the troops below. "Palace Guard! Draw swords!".

In an instant every guard lining the beautifully laid out red carpet drew their swords, revealing the highly polished steel blades that had been previously hidden in their holsters and copied the Knight Commander of Mewni's movements he had taken to draw his own weapon, resting in the same position as Marco and awaiting the next command that they had all drilled numerous times before. Marco cleared his throat and spoke once more in a loud, commanding tone that was rarely heard from the normally friendly, if not slightly safety obsessed, Knight of Mewni.

"Palace Guard! Present! Arms!" he commanded and immediately the guard, with simultaneous movements as if they possessed a single mind and will, moved their swords so that the flat of the blade covered their noses as the tip of the weapon pointed skywards. Gripping the handle of the weapon close to their chests with straight arms, holding this position for a grand total of five seconds before all at once returning to their previous position. They held firm in this position as they awaited what they knew would be the final command before the Lucitor couple could be allowed to carry on.

"Palace Guard! Return! Swords!" Marco commanded, prompting the guards to move the tips of their swords smartly to the top of the scabbards, slowly lowering the blade into the scabbard until only an inch or so of steel remained visible. Once all had achieved this, a mighty crack was heard as they all at once sent the last inch of steel into place and their weapons had been fully stowed. They then let go of the grips and returned their now empty hands to the previous position of attention.

With that small ceremony out of the way, Tom and Tamia walked across the red carpet and up towards the castle entrance. The two couples greeted each other with an embrace as their close friendship made itself clear immediately. After a few seconds they all broke away and Tom was the first to speak "So for real, wanna clue us in on this announcement huh?" he said with a sly smile, secretly only asking to see if he had one his and Tamia's little bet. Marco and Star shook their heads however. "Sorry Tom" came Star's voice with a giggle as she could see the small look of disappointment on his face. "All in good time".

Tamia giggled, knowing exactly why Tom had asked so quickly "Nice try hun, let's just go inside and wait patiently huh?" she said as she hooked her arm through his and began to tug at him to enter the castle with her. Tom sighed, defeated "Fine, but just cause you know I'm right" he says as the pair head through the doors and into the awaiting castle. Marco and Star remained and once more faced the gate, Star whispered over to Marco "Good job Diaz" with a flirty smile which made Marco chuckle, "Thanks Star, just one more to go huh?" he joked but was slightly surprised when he spotted the look of concern on his girlfriend's face. "Errm..Star? Everything okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled lightly but in a low voice said "Maybe...don't do it when Ponyhead shows up..she's not big on ceremony anyway and..well you know what her mood has been like". Marco was saddened a little by Star's concern for her oldest friend, but knew exactly what Star was talking about, most everyone in Mewni did.

"Okay Star, If you think it's best" he reassured her with a smile which she returned before planting a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thanks Marco". Just as their conversation concluded another portal opened wide, yet again this one was blue and had clearly been created with a typical pair of dimensional scissors. "Speak of the devil" Marco muttered to himself earning a small prod from Star, who for her part was trying not to giggle at the comment as Ponyhead appeared at from inside the portal.

Two years hadn't done much to change her appearance, she had gotten slightly bigger as she slowly began to grow towards her father's size, but she was still nowhere close to that. She was now around half of Marco's height as she floated above the ground. She wore a near blank expression, certainly a far cry from the Ponyhead before Helvete had shown up. That previous confidence and obnoxious tendency had been replaced by grief and anger most of the time across those two years. It was clear she was attempting to simply get through today and definitely did not want to be there.

As instructed, Marco did not make any commands of the guard and Ponyhead, after waiting patiently for a little while, muttered something out of earshot before floating over to greet the couple. "Hey Pony, you doing okay?" Star asked with a kind and sympathetic tone towards her friend as she held her arms out to embrace her. Ponyhead refused the hug flatly, "Hey gurl" she greeted before narrowing her eyes at Marco "Earth turd" she said in a dismissive voice, certainly not uncommon for Ponyhead, especially nowadays, but the insult still annoyed Marco alot. It seemed to him like Ponyhead was never going to accept that he and Star were together, not that she had any say in the matter.

"Pony please be nice, it's going to be a good day" Star asked with a small, hopeful smile as she pleaded slightly with the floating head. Ponyhead rolled her eyes "Yeah sure gurl, It'll be a good day when Earth turd goes home" she uttered in a harsh voice before entering the castle in a sour mood. Marco tightened his fist, a look of hurt and anger coming across his face. But Star quickly managed to soothe him by placing his hand in her own and squeezing lightly. "It's only for today Marco...I'm sorry she's still like that towards you but, can you not get into a fight? Please? For me?" she pleaded with puppy eyes up towards her beloved. 'Damn' Marco thought as his anger faded away and he unclenched his fist, his face softening 'I need to learn to resist those eyes somehow' he made a mental note.

"Okay Star...I'll try" he promised with a look of resignation on his face. "But I just don't see why she's still like this? We've been together nearly 5 years!" he complained. His complaints were met with an understanding nod from Star. "I know Marco, I hate it too but she's going through a rough time right now, it's like mum said, she lost more than any of us" she reassured him with sad eyes as she kept her grip on his hand, interlocking her fingers with his. Marco didn't quite buy Star's reasoning but decided for her sake not to press the issue and just nodded with a small smile as he looked into her love-filled eyes.

"Cmon, lets go inside, we got an announcement to make after all" she said as she kissed his cheek and began to pull him inside with a happy smile. Marco rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm and chuckled as she dragged him into the castle and they both made their way into the meeting room. Once inside the couple was met with a oddly silent room, the tension could be cut with a knife as everyone looked nervous as it was extraordinarily clear that Ponyhead was yet again in an extremely bad mood and noone wanted to really start an argument.

Eclipsa and Globgor had already been sitting in the room at the left corner of the long table which centred the private meeting room. The walls of the room were fairly plain and unlike most of the castle had little decoration to allow for the meetings to take place in an atmosphere of concentration. The only things on the wall were a diamond shaped mirror which was used to phone individuals who could not attend physically whichever meeting was taking place that day and a large piece of glass which could be written on using magic to jot down key points or other notes from the meeting itself.

Tom and Tamia had sat themselves down across from Globgor and Eclipsa, sharing a friendly smile with the pair as they did so, but all four had kept quiet since Ponyhead had entered and sat in the near left corner of the table, making sure to put a chair's worth of distance between her and the others. Hekapoo was sat next to Tamia on the other side and Omnitraxus was positioned in the centre of the table inside his crystal ball so that he could easily view everything should he need to. Rhombulus was sat on a small stool facing the far corner of the room, his arms folded as Hekapoo's punishment for his earlier outburst was being enforced.

Star and Marco took their own places, Marco sitting to Star's right as she took her place at the head of the table, the glass panel on the wall behind her, as she prepared to take charge of the meeting. "Okay" she said, attempting to bring some cheer into the room despite the clear nervousness of all those involved "Let's get this started shall we?" she continued with a small, nervous smile while keeping an eye on Ponyhead who was staring daggers towards Marco.

Star sighed, this was going to be a long meeting wasn't it? "First things first, Security of Mewni" Star began as she flipped to the first page of a leatherbound notebook simply marked with 'Meeting Notes' She marked the date at the top of the page and then entitled the first page with the words 'Security concerns'. "Hekapoo, what have you got?" she asks to the Portal master of the high commission who's little orange flame at the top of her head illuminated the area around her with a gentle glow as she spoke in a casual and admittedly rather bored voice. "Not a lot, Although whoever keeps using their dimensional scissors to dump their garbage kindly stop, It's not what they're supposed to be used for" she warned.

At that point Rhombulus called over from the time-out corner with an accusing "Yeah! Who's dumping garbage in the neverzone!?" he yelled with confidence until Hekapoo, with narrowed eyes and an accusing, very angry gaze and a monotone voice simply responded "I never said the garbage had been dumped in the Neverzone". Rhombulus' eye went wide as he realised that he should've kept his mouth shut. Hekapoo walked over to him and extended her hand "Hand them over" she demanded, looking down on him like a parent would to a disobedient child. With a grumble Rhombulus handed over his dimensional scissors which Hekapoo placed into the pocket of her fiery, orange dress.

She walked back to her spot at the meeting table and took her seat "That's two hours in the time out corner by the way, and you can have these back when I say so" she called over with a monotone voice. The crystalline being grumbled under his breath and turned to face the corner again. "Okay so, now that that's solved, lets move onto Tom and Tamia, anything happening in the Lucitor Union?" Star asked awkwardly, attempting to quickly divert attention from what just happened.

Tom and Tamia exchanged a look, both knowing what they wanted to ask. "Errm, We'll be honest Star.." Tom began before Tamia burst out with a loud and overexcited "What's your and Marco's announcement!?" as she slammed her hands on the table and eased up to look closer at the couple, it almost seemed like her eyes were sparkling with excitement. The whole room was silent for a moment. Most everyone staring at Tamia with a mixture of confused expressions, except for Tom who placed his left hand over his face. Tamia then realised how odd that had just looked and slowly sank back down into her chair, a small voice emitting from her lips with a soft "Sorry..I just..got kinda excited is all".

Ponyhead huffed, Tamia's outburst clearly had annoyed her and this didn't go unnoticed by Tom who narrowed his eyes at the moody queen of the Ponyhead's. But she didn't back down from Tom's glare and in a snarky and accusing tone spat out "What!? You got something to say Lucitor!?" she spoke with a narrow glare of her own. But as Tom was about to reply, a look of anger crossing his face, Star's voice scolded the floating pony. "Pony! There's no need for that, we're all friends here!" Star's own expression was saddened by Ponyhead's outburst, she'd tried so hard to help Ponyhead with her loss but she couldn't keep allowing her to take this attitude with everyone.

Ponyhead's glare then turned to Star "Gurl, I already told you, Me and my Kingdom ain't friends with no Lucitors!" she made clear in an unfeeling and harsh tone "Now just get on with your announcement or whatever so I can go home and not have to look at them" she finished, looking away and closing her eyes with a "Hmmpf" of disgust at the conversation. Star immediately noticed the looks of disgust towards Ponyhead, including the one from Marco, he was clearly furious with how she was acting and Star knew that he probably wouldn't tolerate much more so she decided not to press the issue.

"Okay, well, In that case seeing as how noone can be patient till the end of the meeting" She said with a small smile, taking Marco's hand as everyone else aside from Ponyhead leaned closer in anticipation of the announcement. "Me and Marco have decided on a date for our wedding" She said with a gleeful smile. Tamia immediately stood and cheered happily before extending her hand out towards Tom. "I told you so, cough it up" she teased in victory.

Tom produced a small bag that jingled with the sound of golden coins and placed it in Tamia's palm "You got lucky, my guess was perfectly possible" he mumbled in a voice that was clearly sore at losing the bet. Marco and Star looked bemused at this with Marco being the one to speak up "What did you think we were gonna say Tom?" he questioned the Lucitor king who's face produced a light blush from the embarrassing thing he thought it would be. Tamia laughed, still in victory mode and immediately answered on Tom's behalf "He thought Star was pregnant" she giggled as she jingled the bag of coins happily in her palm.

Star and Marco exchanged a look, both of them flushing red before looking away, their hands however remained intertwined. "oooooh..errm, right yeah...no errm..not yet" Star awkwardly answered, drawing a chuckle from most at the table. Ponyhead however was not amused by any of this and was about to say something when she caught Marco's gaze for a moment. His eyes were like steel as they met hers and he subtly shook his head, almost warning her not to say another word. She huffed in disapproval but did obey and kept her opinions to herself for now.

"So, when is the date Star?" Eclipsa asked, a proud, almost motherly smile plastered across her face with small dots of happy tears in the corners of her eyes. Marco and Star chuckled as they looked towards their long time mentor, watching as she left her seat and ran up to enclose them both in a warm, loving hug which the pair eagerly returned. "Oh you two have grown up so much, I remember when you were both just teenagers hoping that one liked the other!" she claimed with joy as those happy tears flowed freely. Globgor chuckled at his wife as he watched from his chair, she could be overly dramatic at times.

Star and Marco laughed happily as they remembered the days when they had first gotten together. Everything seemed like so long ago now, their first date, Marco learning magic, their battle with Tom. All of it had faded into memory as the last few years had been the most eventful and memorable time of their lives. They broke off their hug with Eclipsa "It's this time next week, some of the preparations have already been made, which brings us too" Star happily began walking over towards Tom and Tamia as she said this, followed by Marco until they stood just in front of the couple.

Marco Started off first "Tom, I want you to be the best man at the wedding" he asked with a smile towards the Lucitor King. Tom smiled happily and gratefully, the two had originally started off as nothing more than rivals, but over the years the pair had grown to the closest of friends who had each other's back through thick and thin. Marco couldn't have asked a better person quite frankly. "Yeah of course man! You know I'd never pass up that opportunity!" Tom yelled as he got up to hug his friend, Marco returned the gesture with a cheerful smile.

Star then looked down to Tamia and said simply "Well, Marco has his best man, I still need a maid of honour" she said with a telling smile. Tamia smiled back and nodded with a happy tear falling from her cheek as the two also shared a hug. The happy moment between the two couples was soon interrupted however by a disgruntled and near furious Ponyhead who interjected with a hostile "What about me!? We've discussed me being your maid of honour since you were like 6 B-fly!?". Ponyhead looked fiercely angry but the telltale shimmer in her eyes showed what was obvious heartbreak.

Star sighed, having a feeling that this was coming, what Ponyhead said wasn't untrue after all. "Look, Pony, I'm sorry but the way you've been acting lately, especially today and the fact that you've never ever approved of me and Marco being together even though it's more than obvious that we love each other...I just didn't see why you should be my maid of honour, you can still be a bridesmaid but.." Star didn't even get to finish her difficult and sympathetic explanation when Ponyhead exploded into a fit of rage.

"Of course I don't approve of Earth-turd! But I was gonna put up with him as long as you were happy B-Fly! But whatever! I know when I'm not wanted, I hope your wedding sucks without me!" Ponyhead raged before bursting out of the room and making her way out of the castle in a fit. The room was somewhat quiet after that, noone wanting to break the silence.

That was until Marco saw small tears trailing down her cheeks. He enveloped his fiancé in a tight, comforting hug, her head nestling into his shoulder as she gently let her tears flow. Marco, then commanded with an anger to his voice "Everybody out! We'll continue the meeting in a few minutes, Me and Star just need a few minutes alone okay?" Noone argued with the order, understanding the anger in the knight's voice completely and they all quickly but quietly made their way from the room, closing the door behind them.

Marco gently ran his hand down Star's long and soft hair which cascaded like a waterfall of purest gold down her back to the small of her back as he comforted his soon-to-be wife. Her small whimpers muffled by his shoulder which was becoming admittedly rather damp by now. "Hey Star, don't worry yourself about Ponyhead okay? I know she has her problems with me and...well in general..but I know she didn't mean what she said okay? She'll come around" He attempted to reassure her, although he wasn't sure of that last part himself, Ponyhead had seemed not just angry..she seemed kinda heartbroken.

Star, still muffled by her boyfriend's shoulder and with a voice wreathed in sadness on what should have been a happy day for them both asked "But what if she doesn't?". Marco thought about this for a moment, then nodded as resolve took him and he broke his hug with Star, now staring into her blue, tear soaked and saddened eyes as she gazed into his with a mixture of love and hurt. "Then it'll be her loss when we have the happiest day of our lives and her own stubbornness keeps her from experiencing it with us" he said with a serious tone before planting a small kiss on Star's forehead.

After he broke the kiss he looked into her eyes again and continued "Star I love you more than anything else in this world or any other, we've been through more than most experience in a lifetime and I still want to go through much much more with you. All I've ever needed in my life ever since you turned up is you, I promise you that no matter what happens, I'll always love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you" his speech was filled with love and heartfelt sincerity as he spoke. If Star hadn't already been crying before she certainly would be now as she drew herself up to plant a loving and passionate kiss on the knight's lips.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds before the couple broke away. "Marco you're super corny sometimes" Star teased before resting her head on his chest "And I love you for it" she whispered gently, a smile finally making it's way to her face. Marco smiled too, if nothing else, he always knew how to make Star feel better. "You ready to finish this meeting?" he asked gently, casually playing with Star's hair as he did so. Star giggled lightly "A few more minutes, let me just enjoy this" she said, closing her eyes as she listened to his heartbeat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-A Grand Scheme and a Grander Celebration**

**The Badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

The wind howled like a pack of wolves through the cracked and broken landscape which characterised this desolate, abandoned and sorry looking corner of the Grand Lucitor Union. Even in the days where this land had been part of the Helios Empire it hadn't exactly been the prettiest area around. But in those days it was at the very least, a useful land. It had previously been home to the mighty fortress of Arcturus. A Helios stronghold that had served as Helvete's base of operations for his war against his own father after the attack from Globgor in which he lost his wife and, at the very least thought, he had lost Tamia.

It had once been one of the strongest forts in all of Helios, it's walls were tall and thick, manufactured from black granite mined from the nearby quarries which spanned a nearly 100 acre space and were worked at their peak by nearly 40,000 workers, although it had to be said that a great many of those had been prisoners in one form or another. Now the quarry was just a colossal, abandoned space. The small hutches, offices and living quarters for the workers now laying in a state of disrepair, many of them succumbing to time and weather. The Quarry itself now serving only as a quiet resting place for those workers that had died during it's operation.

The fort itself had also fallen into disrepair and neglect, itself a metaphor for the Helios Empire. What was once powerful, awe inspiring and feared now lies in disrepair, broken and abandoned. The mighty walls still stood strong against the barren landscape, but where they had once housed and sheltered soldiers and formidable defences, now they only house scuttling insects and dusty relics of a by-gone age of Mewnian history. It's mighty citadel would stand silent and forgotten had it not been for the wind which howled and twisted throughout it's passages and corridors as it funnelled through the structure.

As the evening slowly begins and the sunlight dims from the sky however, there is but a single sign that this monolithic structure that only seems to house the ghosts of it's past, is still, just barely clinging to life. As the night begins to fall, the dim flicker of a light can be seen in one of the windows of the mighty citadel. It is low, one of the windows that illuminates a basement floor, and the flame is only barely visible until someone were to get close. It's easy to notice someone out in a landscape as barren and empty as the badlands of the former Helios Empire, as such anyone who does operate out here commonly keeps to themselves, maintaining a low profile.

To follow the light into the room below would reveal a troubling and even terrifying sight for many a Mewnian or Monster however. The room inside was large, with tall ceilings but only a single entrance. On the far wall hung a tattered and torn Helios Flag. Enshrined in it's surroundings by whomever had chosen to make this grim place their home. Blood had stained it's fabric and flames had eaten away at some of it's edges but it was unmistakable to anyone who had lived through that terrible conflict. The Crimson sun, it's rays stretching to the edge of the flag on a background as black as the darkest void.

Surrounding the flag was a semi-circle of tall, white candles in simple stands. Their wax dripped down onto the hard granite floor at a slow pace as it smoothly made its way down the candlesticks from the bright flames at their summits. Inside the candles was a kneeling figure draped in a blood-red cloak with a hood which covered his head and shadowed his face in the darkness as it blocked the light of the candles, although it was just barely visible that he possessed long, scraggly black hair which hung past to his shoulders and had a long black beard and moustache which together shielded most of his face from view.

His old and worn-looking green eyes observed the flag before him with unyielding focus. His entire self was focused, single-minded and calm as he simply stared up at this tattered and withered looking symbol of a fallen Empire. He looked sorrowful, as if in mourning for the dead. In a disgraced and ashamed voice that was deep and smooth but certainly showed his age, as if confessing to a crime he began to speak. "Forgive us" he uttered before he kowtowed to the flag, his forehead resting against the cold, hardened granite floor of the citadel before he continued to speak in that same apologetic, almost pleading manner.

"We have failed you my lord, It is because of us that you have been usurped by those upstart Mewnian pests that now plague our once glorious and beautiful land like rats. They have taken the land you once made the grandest power that has ever been seen in history, and they have turned it into a wretch of hideous states which even go as low as to allow monsters to not only roam the land free, but even have a 'so called nation' of their own!" His rant reaches a peak at this and he realises that he is becoming far too carried away by his own vigour and after a few moments catching his breath he continues with his speech up to the shrine, his head still resting on the floor as he does so.

"I beg that you can forgive us for our great and terrible failings" He raised himself up from the kowtow position so that he was once more kneeled before his flag and now able to see it as he spoke. "However I swear to you on my very life and soul, that I will see your grand and glorious self restored to us and we, shall together bring a hellfire and fury down onto the Butterfly family unlike the pages of Mewnian history has ever seen. We shall purge the Mewnian filth from our homeland and restore the greatness that our people once had" He once more Kowtowed in a final expression of apology and promise he expressed his final promise to the shrine.

"I swear on everything that I am, and on the honour and glory of our people that I will restore your rightful place, My lord Helvete".

As he spoke these words the cloaked figure stood and, with a single wave of his left hand, the candles moved to either side, forming two straight lines out from the wall so that he could exit the space of the shrine. He took several paces before turning around and once more waving his left hand causing the candles to reassemble the semi-circle that surrounded the flag of Helios. Footsteps approached as a thin, pale looking man in a slim-fitting black suit with highly polished shoes and a red tie which stuck out against his white undershirt approached the cloaked figure.

His footsteps were crisp and precise, with a perfect timing between each pace as if he was in full control of every detail of his motion. His hair was well kept, jet black and slick and he was clean-shaven with a pair of brown, squinting eyes observing every detail of the room as they darted from one location to another rapidly assessing before coming to a stop and focusing on the cloaked individual he had come to see. With his right hand he brought a closed fist over his heart with his arm tight to his chest in a salute to the cloaked, older gentleman before speaking in a deep, sly voice he began to speak.

"Grand Vizier Beumont, I bring news from one of my agents inside the Butterfly Kingdom, it might be of some interest to you" his right hand reached into his suit pocket and pulled a small, red leatherbound notebook and a pencil. He flicked through the pages until finally settling onto the report he wanted and keeping his eyes on it through the use of his pencil as a pointer.

"What is it Verlock? Has one of your networks found a leak in their defences yet?" Asked the Vizier in an intrigued voice. Verlock was a sly, persuasive and scheming individual which meant that while Beumont could never totally trust the man at his word, he was a nearly perfect man to have been tasked as Spymaster when the Helios Empire had been an active state. Now in this limited size group of loyalists that Beumont had called to his cause, he was the perfect man in the efforts to intrigue, spy and sabotage the Mewnian states and weaken them whereever they could.

"Quite possibly, Your Excellency, One of my men has discovered that the Princess of the Kingdom, Star Butterfly is to be married next week to a Marco Diaz, it is my understanding this is the same Marco Diaz who is responsible for the death of General Kahchi?" He inquired as he jotted small notes down into the book which were for his eyes only.

"Murder you mean..." came a young sounding voice from the darkness that engulfed the edges of the room. The voice was cold and angered but also had the typical squeak of a teen who had not fully embraced pubescence yet. Out of the shadows stepped a teenage boy who wore a black uniform with golden trim and an impressive looking medal ribbon bar which showed a great many colours from awards that the man who had previously worn the same uniform had achieved throughout his life. It was obvious at a glance that the uniform had been both altered to make it fit the boy, but also significantly repaired with bloodstains that had certainly faded but not washed out in the chest area.

The boy carried two long, hooked blades with highly sharpened blades and black cord on the handles which was layered in a cross pattern to help with grip while in combat. The hooks on the blades ended in thin, sharp points which had barbs designed to stick in the body and allow for the weider to throw his opponent around once struck. They were certainly formidable and nasty looking weapons to be hit by and the boy was certainly a master in their use by now, having trained for as long as he'd been alive in these weapons. He crossed his arms and looked towards Beumont with an impatiant expression "So when do I kill him?" he asked in a cold and angered tone that was filled with hatred that expressed only one target, Marco Diaz.

The Vizier raised his right hand and showed his palm to the boy, "Patience Tyrius, Patience" he said in a calm and focused voice with his palm waving the boy to stay where he was for the time being. "You will get your chance to avenge your father in good time, but we must be patient for now, if we are discovered too soon then all will be lost and you will never get your chance". Hearing this Tyrius sighed in annoyance and took a seat leaning his back against the high walls of the room.

"I promise you child, that once the time is right, you will have your chance to rid all of Mewni of that meddlesome Earthling scum, and when that time comes I know that you will do your father proud" the old Vizier said with a small smile in the boy's direction. Tyrius didn't acknowledge the smile, he simply nodded and then looked away, uninterested in any conversation that didn't involve his personal vendetta.

Beumont then turned back towards Verlock, who was tapping his foot impatiently at the interruption that had just occurred while he had been trying to filter intelligence. "Verlock, I want you to continue to monitor the situation, keep a close eye out for any openings but do not expose yourself or your agents for now is that clear? If there is further news report it to me directly." he ordered and Verlock drew his hand across his chest to once more salute the old man "It will be done your Excellency" the thin and pale man spoke in that same deep and sly voice which seemed to reek of dishonesty. He then turned on his heel and made his way out of the room at a precise pace until he stopped and spun round again. "Oh, there was one more thing your Excellency if it will interest you?" he enquired with a grin across his lips like a snake who was about to bite.

The old man nodded "Go ahead Verlock, what is it?". Verlock flipped to yet another page in his little notebook and found the line he had scrawled the report onto. "The queen of the Ponyhead kingdom, one; Lilacia Pony Head, has had a dramatic falling out with Star Butterfly, it seems she's still deep in grieving for the death of her father, the previous King Ponyhead" Verlock read aloud from the little booklet. Beumont thought for a moment and then a wicked grin grew across his face. "Yes, I believe there is use for a situation such as that" he pondered before waving the spymaster away with his left hand. Verlock obeyed and once more turned on his heel and took measured, precise paces across the room until he was out of the door.

"Eugh, yknow there's something especially unattractive about a man that measures his steps" came a disgusted female voice from the darkness not too far from where Tyruis was sat. Beumont turned and faced the source of the voice in the darkness before he chuckled to himself "A rather cruel comment wouldn't you say Sophia? The man may be a little...strange in his ways...shall we say but he is certainly effective" he said with a small smile as he walked over to a desk in the corner of the room which was adorn with ancient looking texts in languages that ranged from English to Mewnian all the way into books simply filled with strange symbols that seemed nearly unintelligible.

Sophia came out of the darkness of the corner of the room, revealing herself as a tall and muscular woman with scars and old wounds covering her body from head to toe, 'the only acceptable trophies from a lifetime of battle' as she would tell those who asked about them. She was dressed in leather-plate bodyarmour that was clearly quite light and only there as a form of cushioning more than actual protection from attack. She replied to the Vizier's comment with a chuckle and simply replied "Well, I still say he's possibly the least attractive man ever, hell I'd sooner take Conaris and he's a nerd". Sophia laughed to herself for that comment and even Tyrius gave a small chuckle at the comment.

Beumont flicked through the pages of a dusty old tome with interest, his studies having never abated in the last two years since the fall of Helios, although it had to be said that getting things to study from had been met with further difficulties than it used to. "Speaking of which where is the 'Famed head of the Imperial Engineers?', better be working on some new contraption to counter the Mewnian armies if he knows what's good for him" the old man muttered with a hint of sarcasm as he spoke Conaris' title aloud. The man wasn't exactly popular even despite his knowledge, after his machines that had been 'Sure to win the war for Helios' had been used by their enemies to greater effect, leading to the total annihilation and surrender of the Helios army in the end.

"Who knows, he's probably trying to refine the stupid War rigs again, I swear he's in love with the things, just dotes on them 24/7, I think I actually heard him talking to them once" Sophia replies with disgust and boredom in her tone. She had long since given up caring about anything Conaris did so long as he remained loyal to the order. She herself was too concerned with repairing the assault that Mewni had done to her honour. The only failing she would admit to in her entire life, as the former commander of the Imperial Guard it was unacceptable to her that they had allowed Helvete to be slain in the way he had. Every breath that Star, Marco, Tom and even Tamia took was an assault on her and she had long ago sworn revenge against the lot of them. Especially Tamia, who she saw as nothing more than a sickening traitor to her father.

"Allow him to work on his little projects Sophia, they will after all come in useful when the time is right" Beumont pointed out without his eyes leaving the page for even a second as he continued to study from the dusty tome filled with strange symbols and language that didn't make even an ounce of sense to anybody else in the room. "After all, half of the plan is already completed with Verlock's discovery of the location of the Magic Sanctuary" the old man said with a nefarious grin as the plan he had toiled on for 2 long, painful years was almost ready to be initiated. All they would require now, was the right opening for the first phase.

The old man took hold of a small, wooden staff fashioned from solid oak. It was a simple staff with no real finery or refinement to it like the staff that Eclipsa carried or that Moon was now required to use, but it worked perfectly well for his purposes. "I have a small matter to attend to, I will return when it has been concluded, until then Sophia, you are in charge of holding down the fort" he uttered with a devious grin. Sophia responded by drawing her right arm across her chest, her fist laying over her heart "Of course your Excellency, Praise Helios!". The old man nodded "Praise Helios" he said calmly before making his own way out of the door.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The next day was one of hard work and preparation for the people of Mewni. A royal wedding had not been seen in the kingdom for years and was always the most well prepared, well attended and grandest celebration the kingdom had to offer. Even the victory parades after the surrender of Helios would be but a small thing by comparison to such a grandiose Mewnian event. Absolutely everything was to be perfect and the citizens made every effort in a labour of love and devotion to ensure that it was.

Even though the date was seemingly still a little bit of time away, the kingdom was in full swing as if the whole thing was supposed to go off tomorrow. Troops had been called in from all corners of the kingdom to begin the practice for their grand parade through the city in honour of the new royal couple. The skylords of the Royal Airship Corps had been working on their great war machines all day, ensuring that all their equipment was running at full capacity and that breakdowns on the day were a simple impossibility. They had also been fitting new and beautifully handcrafted ballons and decoration to their airships which would show off the Mewnian colours proudly and display not only their might to the rest of the world. But also display their unwavering love for the Butterfly family whom they served.

The soldiers who weren't manning the guard posts and walls or running through their drills for the grand parade were busy with ensuring that their uniforms looked pristine for the event. Boots and Buttons were polished to a high mirror shine so that they gleamed like diamonds as the light bounced off them. Their uniforms were pressed and finely re-stitched as necessary and not a single thread or crease was out of place, it was clear that this was a labour of loyalty for the men and a matter of pride for the Mewnian army.

The civilians of Mewni were not left out of the preparations, far from it, they were all active in preparing the kingdom for the magnificent event as well as readying themselves for it in their own ways. The merchants had already come up with every possible type of merchandise and memorabilia for the wedding, everything from flags to bedsheets to tankards, booklets and t-shirts were stocked in most market stalls across Mewni. You couldn't move for the amount of stuff with Star and Marco's faces or the Butterfly family seal on them.

Everywhere you looked there were banners and proud-looking flags which flew gently in the cool early morning breeze, all of which proudly displayed the Mewnian colours and the symbols of it's most famous queens throughout all of it's history. Teams of Mewmans swept and scrubbed every inch of the streets which had been rebuilt in professionally quarried and masoned slabs of andesite from large quarries which had opened in the lands of the Butterfly Kingdom. The roads were as clean as the day that had been laid down and were the perfect passage for the parade to advance down on the day of the marriage.

Inside Butterfly Castle itself, servants, butlers, maids, gardeners and chefs all rushed to gain an audience with Star or Marco on their choices for each element of the wedding. Every single minute detail had to be approved by the couple directly, although on a good many of them neither the bride or groom had a real opinion on it. One servant had asked Marco which kind of metal he wanted the cutlery crafted from. Marco was immediately puzzled by the question "What's wrong with what the castle already has?" he asked in a clueless voice which was met with an expression of shock from the servant akin to if Marco had insulted the man's mother.

"Sir! I must protest against using any of this shabby cutlery that that kitchen possesses! Do you not wish for your and Princess Star's wedding to be perfect!?" he asked in a baffled and all together far too posh voice. Marco's expression did not falter, he was now even more confused than before and decided that the best thing to do would be to get away from this lunatic cutlery enthusiast. "Errrm, Yknow...me and Star...errrm..." he hesitated, trying to think of a good reason to get rid of this crazy man off the top of his head, when suddenly he smiled as a light bulb idea popped into his head. "..We actually put King River in charge of the Cutlery for the wedding, he loves the stuff and it would be unfair for me to choose for him" lied Marco with a nervous smile, hoping and praying that the servant had bought his flimsy excuse.

The servant narrowed his eyes in suspicion for a moment, causing Marco to sweat nervously. But after a moment the servant nodded with an enthusiastic smile. "Ah of course, yes a wise choice Sir Marco, leaving it to the experts, A master stroke I must say I shall endeavour to locate King River at once!" He said before bowing at the waist, turning on his heel and making a swift pace down the hall in search for the king. As soon as he was out of view Marco sighed with relief and began making his way back towards his office, attempting to avoid any servants he could see prowling the halls, hunting for him like a pack of vultures for wedding opinions.

After some significant sneaking and at once point having to dive head-first into one of the cloakrooms to avoid what could only be described as 'A legion of chefs' which had come charging through the halls, calling for him and Star to finalise a decision on a Menu for the reception. Marco eventually arrived at and quickly locked himself inside his office "Just..just 15 minutes" he muttered to himself as he sighed once more with relief as he finally relaxed. He took in the room for a moment; admiring the various plaques denoting the symbols of the different corps of the Mewnian army as well as his wall-sized map of the kingdoms of Mewni which was marked with various coloured pieces of paper and pins denoting the positions of units and their current orders and other minor details.

The map itself was beautifully painted in full colour and in suburb detail so that the Knight commander of the Mewnian Army could easily have a full insight as to just where he was sending his troops. A job which Marco had not only become very accustomed to, but also exceptionally good at over the years which surprised him seeing how he'd never wanted to join the military when he'd been a kid back on Earth. He made his way towards the desk with a small sigh "What is it about wedding's that makes people crazy over the tiny details?" he mumbled to himself. But as he asked this to noone in particular, he was surprised when an exhausted sounding voice came from his backward-facing chair "Tell me about it..". The sudden response caused Marco to jump and stagger back a couple of paces from his desk.

A mass of gold whirled through his vision as the chair span round so that the girl occupying it could now look at him. Marco relaxed a tad 'Of course it was Star' he thought as he saw the beautiful face of his soon-to-be wife looking up at him with a smug smile which barely disguised how exhausted and fed up she was. Marco saw right through her fained attempt to look normal immediately and smiled sympathetically as he walked over to the chair, stopping just in front of her. "You too huh?" he asked with an understanding tone to his voice as Star's smug look gave way to tiredness as she relaxed into the chair.

"Oh my god it hasn't stopped" she moaned, covering her eyes with her arm as she finally expressed her fustration. "Seriously, since when has anyone ever cared what colour a napkin is and why do the servants have more than one kind of button for their uniforms!?" she almost yelled with annoyance as Marco could only chuckle with confusion. "There's more than one kind?" he asked. Star looked up at the ceiling with a look like she was going mad "They have 17 kinds!" she yelled "Like seriously, why!? What's the point in that and why should I care!?".

Marco knelt to the ground before Star so that their faces were at the same level and he extended his arms out to offer a hug, an offer which Star rapidly accepted as she rested her head on his shoulder. Both sat there in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying this moment of quiet they had together for a while, it was clear they both needed this. Marco however was the first to break the silence, but not the hug, with a calm "Well, we could look on the bright side Star? This just means that they care about our wedding being as happy as we can make it" he said with a hope that it was enough to get Star, and admittedly himself, to feel a bit better about the stressful time they'd both been having over the course of the morning.

Star sighed, holding Marco tighter as she replied "Marco...the wedding was already going to be perfect" she answered before pulling away to look into the knight's eyes. "I'm marrying my best friend, how could it not be perfect?" she whispered with a happy smile before drawing her lips onto his in a loving kiss which the pair both quickly melted into. They spent a few minutes in bliss as the world around them seemed to fade until it was just the two of them. It was very clear that they both needed this after all the stress they'd endured at the hands of the tiresome castle staff. All too soon however the moment came to a halt as a knock was heard at the door with a frantic "Please, Your highness? Sir Marco? If either of you are in there, it's a disaster, King River is having the chef's order battleaxes for use in the appetisers, and you don't even want to know what he wants for to use for the main courses! Please, come quickly I beg of you!" came the voice of a rather distressed sounding housemaid.

The couple sighed, Marco looking nervous as they did so which Star quickly picked up on. "Marco...you wouldn't know anything about that would you?" she said with an accusing glare in her eye, as if looking down at a naughty child. Marco for his part hesitated but with the look in her eyes and with his past record at failing to make Star believe any lie he could come up with he relented and looked down in shame "I...kinda didn't wanna deal with the crazy butler who's obsessed with cutlery and so I told him we'd left the decision to him...I guess he must've believed me" Marco confessed as he scratched the back of his head.

Star's eyes went wide "Oh sweet fan of Celena we've gotta go stop him" she said in a deadpan and serious voice. Grabbing firm hold of Marco's hand and dragging him over to the door with a strength that Marco kept forgetting she had. "Star are you sure it's that bad!? I mean your dad can handle a little decision like that right?" Marco asked with a panic to his voice. Star's look when she turned around made it clear that he'd definitely said the wrong thing. She was wide eyed and frantic with panic over what her father might do if not stopped immediately "Marco! Last time mum asked my dad to decide on a painting for their room he turned half the castle into a jungle with actual, live animals inside it!" She scolded "Trust me, I don't care about the small details, but my dad doesn't make decisions like this for a good reason" she added before dragging Marco out of the room and the pair rushed down the hall to stop River before he went too far.

**Ponyhead Castle-Cloud Kingdom of the Ponyhead's**

Around 6 empty and dripping pots of icecream were piled up alongside dozens of empty pizza boxes, popcorn boxes and drinking cups of various sizes on the floor of Ponyhead's room in the grand castle of the Ponyhead Kingdom. She was lying in her bed with yet another pot of ice cream which has melted to the point of where she was simply drinking the contents with a straw at this point. Not that she cared anyway, there had been no reason for her to care about anything ever since King Ponyhead had been murdered at Helvete's hand. Ponyhead had witnessed her father's death first hand and the image never seemed to leave her no matter how much she tried to force it down under the cover of repressed feelings. Anger and sadness, these were all she ever expressed now, and currently after her argument with Star over the wedding, it was weighing heavily in the sadness region of her torn mind.

She laid facing a laptop, a strange and extremely soppy Korean drama series playing on the screen. Ponyhead was crying as the scene she watched reached it's peak. The two love interests of the series had finally, after a long and bitter series of love triangles that had riled the fans of the series to no end, confessed their love for each other and shared a passionate kiss as the couple all of the fans, ponyhead included, finally got together properly. Ponyhead dropped the rest of the icecream into the pile on the floor as she began to sob uncontrollably at the scene as it hit all the right points of her untapped wall of emotions.

"Oh goood, why does everything bad happen to me!" she moaned in sorrow as the uncontrollable tears flowed from her eyes down her face and onto the pillow below, before too long the surface of the pillow was made somewhat damp by Ponyhead's emotion-fuelled cries as her emotions over her drama had somehow mixed with the endless ocean of unexplored emotions that had been building for over 2 years all began to crack through the wall she put up to keep them hidden.

It was at this moment there was a knock at the door, a sound which ponyhead responded to with a saddened "Go away!". There was barely any anger to it like there would've been before, now it was fuelled only by pain and a desire to be left to wallow in her own misery. The voice of one of her guards came from beyond the door "Please, your majesty I beg of you, you have a visitor". Ponyhead looked up with some hope in her eyes, she floats over to the door yelling towards the closed entranceway. "Star? B-fly? That you!? I'm so sorry about what I said Gurl It's just been so hard since..." When Ponyhead opened the door, it certainly wasn't Star stood there, and the presence of the visitor was more than enough to stop her in her tracks.

The man was tall, and his long shabby black hair and black beard covered most of his face. His head and body was enclosed by a long blood-red cloak and hood which was littered with symbols and patterns stitched neatly into the fabric by a clearly talented seamstress. The old man smiled a gentle grin and spoke in a deep and smooth voice, it seemed almost fatherly in it's tone and was filled with what sounded to Ponyhead, like sympathy. "Good afternoon Your Majesty, I have come to provide what help I can with your terrible troubles that you have been left to suffer through. My name is Beumont, and I promise that after we talk, you'll feel like your old self again**"**

**A/N: Well, I promised the first few chapters in one go by way of apology and here we are :) I gotta tell you guys I'm super excited about this one and I hope you are too, got a lot planned for this one so it should be a good one. Let me know what you think, reading your comments is always something I enjoy :) Until next time guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-Letting Go**

**Ponyhead Castle-Cloud Kingdom of the Ponyheads**

Ponyhead floated backwards slightly, wary of this stranger that she found not only showing up to her castle unannounced, but he also seemed oddly kind for an old man she had never even laid eyes on before. She looked up and gave the man a distrusting look "What do you want?" she asked in a harsh tone, communicating at once that she certainly did not trust or feel happy at all about this strange, oddly dressed and shabby haired gentleman.

Beumont lowered his hood, allowing his face into the light and showing off his shoulder length, jet black and scraggly kept hair. He then smiled a kind and gentle grin to the confused looking Ponyhead Queen before once more speaking in a calm and low voice which gave him a rather grandfatherly impression that his appearance didn't suit in the slightest. "I want nothing more than to help you, your majesty" he answered as he tiled his head to the side and looked straight into Ponyhead's eyes, as if staring directly through and into her very soul. Ponyhead could've sworn she saw his eyes twinkle with a small, pale blue light for less than a second. She however brushed it off when he began speaking again.

"Oh my dear, You've suffered a terrible tragedy that burdens you so" Beumont conveyed in a sympathetic tone. "It is such an awful fate to lose a parent, especially in such hideous circumstances as you did, I am so very sorry for the awful loss you have suffered". Ponyhead wanted to be angry. How could this old man understand how she felt? How could he possibly know how she lost her father? He wasn't there. He didn't see it. He Knew nothing.

Yet for all of Ponyhead's feelings of anger, she couldn't deny the truth of his words. Before she even realised it, tears had begun to flow down her cheeks once more as grief once more overtook her as the torrent of emotions that she had known for two years had begun to make themselves known once more. "You couldn't understand, How could you, You didn't see what happened!" she yelled in forced anger, trying to overpower her grief and shield her emotions from this odd elderly man.

Beumont's gaze did not falter, his eyes still conveyed the sincerest of sympathies towards the Ponyhead Queen as well as a genuine sadness as he began his reply. "My apologies child, I am a mystic you see, Through your eyes I have gazed into the past and witnessed everything you have suffered through, I apologise for the intrusion but I could not bear to witness one as young as yourself in such tremendous pain" He spoke in a caring and genuine tone as he took a small step closer into the room.

"But I see happiness too.." He began, a small smile adorning his ancient and wrinkled features. "Long forgotten now but still there, buried deep behind despair, grief and unrelenting anger, and more importantly I can see your desire to bring those days back". He brought his left hand up and placed it gently, palm flat onto his chest with a kind-hearted smile. "I can help you if you will let me, I can erase your pain and allow you once more to feel merriment and joy in your soul, wouldn't you like to regain the love and friendship with your old comrades as you once had?" he asked, extending his hand out in a gesture as if asking for her blessing for him to help.

Ponyhead hesitated, the man's speech had been convincing she couldn't deny that. She did desperately want to forget this constant shifting feelings of rage and melancholy that had driven her to the brink of madness and into the deepest loneliness as she drove those who had been close to her far away. But Ponyhead knew better, noone would do this sort of favour for nothing, especially for her, there was certainly a catch to this. "What do you want for this?" she asked in a mistrusting tone.

She looked the old man up and down "Cause if it's a wife or something then I hope you've got an attractive son, I don't date old dudes" she responded frankly with a small look of displeasure on her face as she took in the older gentleman's appearance. Beumont laughed at this comment, an uncontrolled noise of amusement escaping his lips as he lost his composure for a moment. Before long though he brought himself back to formalities and replied to Ponyhead in a calm, still very sympathetic voice. "My apologies child, I just couldn't help myself there, I am certainly not looking for anything of that nature, I am simply doing you a service and nothing more". Ponyhead didn't seem to approve of this answer and the expression on her face told Beumont as much in a second.

Beumont relented and shrugged "Someday, if I have the need, I may call on you to assist me with something that I require help with" he answered with a small smile "A favour for a favour, is that acceptable to you?" he questioned with an outstretched hand, as if offering to shake on it. Ponyhead however still was not entirely convinced, she narrowed her eyes and in a suspicious voice asked "What kind of favour?". Beumont, to Ponyhead's annoyance, once more gave a shrug. Before Ponyhead could interject however he began to explain "Who can say? Help me with an errand? Let me attend an event? I haven't exactly figured out the details as of yet as currently I don't need anything, I may not even bother you after today" He answered in a sincere and polite tone that showed he was speaking honestly.

Ponyhead remained sceptical, but she thought for a moment about everything the stranger had said. She could return to normal? She could be happy again? The only thing he'd ask for is a favour sometime in the future that may never come? It was an incredible offer, one better than she had ever deserved in her life. Even when she'd been happy she'd been a selfish and self interested person, only learning to care for her friends in the last few years when times had become desperate. How was she worthy to accept such an offer?

Beumont shifted and seemed to sense that Ponyhead was in doubt, he spoke up in his elderly and kind-hearted voice. "You are not a bad person Lilacia Ponyhead, you've just gone through some bad times, Please..allow me to help you" he pleaded with her. Ponyhead was speechless for perhaps the first time in her life, all she could manage was a small nod as she agreed to the offer this old mystic had given to her.

Beumont smiled and gestured over to a small desk in the corner of the trash coated room, oddly enough it had been spared the fate of becoming part of the catastrophic rubbish tip that the room had become around it. Ponyhead floated over to the desk and Beumont produced an extremely old looking and dusty book which seemed to explode with dust and debris as he placed it onto the desk. Ponyhead gave the tome an odd look but Beumont just smiled and said reassuringly with a small chuckle "The spell I use for this is pretty old, one of the first ever crafted in Mewni, naturally the book it's contained in is also running on it's last legs, so to speak".

Ponyhead nodded in understanding as Beumont began to flip through the pages, glancing at each page carefully as he attempted to remember where the spell he was looking for was. After an awkward couple of minutes of the old mystic found the page he was looking for and turned once more to face Ponyhead, still wearing that kind smile on his weary looking, hair coated face as Ponyhead looked at him in confusion.

"Okay, this spell requires you to have a calm mind, so please let us start with you closing your eyes" he says in a low tone which conveyed that Ponyhead was safe with doing this. She was a little hesitant but decided that she seriously did not want to continue feeling as she had and so, obeyed the man's command and gently closed her eyes. Beumont lent forward and said calmly "I'm going to place my fingers on your temples, its part of the spell so please, do not worry" he warned her. Ponyhead, eyes still shut just nodded, now resolved to do whatever so long as this worked.

Beumont places each of his index fingers gently onto Ponyhead's temples, Ponyhead shifts slightly with the contact but Beumont jokes "Sorry, my hands are probably cold right?" he asked with a small smirk. Ponyhead just shakes her head and Beumont goes back to business, understanding that she wasn't interested in jokes. "Okay, now then, I need you to imagine a calm and tranquil ocean, the blazing mewnian sun illuminating it without so much as a cloud in the sky" He began as his fingers began to give off a small, pale blue glow which was just barely bright enough to bathe Ponyhead's cheeks in a thin, blue light.

Beumont closed his own eyes and began to channel his abilities, witnessing for himself the exact scene that Ponyhead had conjured in her mind's eye. It was indeed an ocean, but it was anything but calm. The seas were blackened with waves rising to the size of skyscrapers and thundering down with a crash that was like someone pounding a cymbal with a sledge hammer. The sky was equally dark and stormy. Instead of a bright Mewnian sun illuminating a calm and tranquil sea, the scene portrayed lightning splitting and arcing across the skyline which brightly lit up the black, hectic and stormfuelled seas for seconds of bright glares of light at a time.

'Yep, that's what I figured' Beumont thought with a sigh. The spell was more necessary than he thought, this was the least orderly mind he had ever witnessed and the chaos was threatening to overflow and disrupt his own mind's orderly and calm void. The dim glow from his fingertips got brighter as he began to rattle off the spell that he had memorised from the dusty and ancient tome. "Let the storm clear and grief forget, As sorrow fades without regret, Restore the life which loss distorted, let merriment reign and pain be thwarted" he uttered in a deep and smooth tone as the light from his fingertips grew to a peak brightness which bathed the room in pale blue light for a few seconds as the spell took it's effects before vanishing gradually until it finally went out.

Beumont removed his fingers from Ponyhead's temples and sat back in the desk chair he'd been making use of while conducting the spell. "Okay, Open your eyes please" he asked gently and with a small voice as if he was waking a child from a peaceful slumber. Ponyhead did so, her eyes opened wide but they seemed different. Where before they had been open with an anger and contempt to them, a glare that despised the world it took in as it once scanned it's occupants. Those eyes were no longer there, replaced it seemed by a calm and almost well rested glow.

"How do you feel?" Beumont asked with as he tilted his head and stared through her eyes once more, using his abilities to view deeper and scan the state of the Queen's soul itself. That image of the ocean was still there, though now it had resided to how Beumont had wanted her to picture it in the first place. It was now a gentle, endless ocean which stretched past the horizon in all directions. The pale blue water calmly shimmering as light bounced off the gentle waves which were each no bigger than a doorstop and made nearly no noise that could be discerned. The skyline above glowed a bright orange, as if the sky was ablaze with the incredible Mewnian sun as the epicentre of the blaze, it was a truly beautiful sight no matter how you looked at it.

Beumont smiled, already knowing what answer Ponyhead was going to give. Ponyhead smiled wide, for the first time in over 2 years she actually had a smile on her face, admittedly she was a little shocked herself, it felt strange. Like putting on a coat you hadn't worn in a while, comfortable and familiar and yet, strange at the same time. "I feel.." she hesitated, it was like she'd forgotten how to describe it, she'd actually forgotten what happiness and calm had felt like. "I feel nice, like...like I've been carrying a ton of weight for..I don't even know how long but it's gone now, I've dropped it" she spoke ecstatically as small tears of unrepressed joy left the corners of her eyes. She cried again, but this time she cried over the sheer joy she felt in this moment as her grief and sorrow had all at once vanished from her life.

"How?" Ponyhead asked with a wide smiled as she floated higher in the room, unsure what to do now that she felt so good about her life for the first time in oh so long. "How can I repay you!?" she asked, no longer caring the price, whatever price that Beumont could possibly ask was now worth it for how good she felt now. Beumont for his part simply smiled and stood from his chair as he closed the old tome gently, despite his gentleness the tome still gave off a large degree of dust as he shut it's heavy pages. He then placed it into his robes and then turned back to face Ponyhead.

"As I said child, A favour for a favour, at some point I may ask you to help me out should I need it" he reiterated with a kind-hearted and earnest smile "For now, let's just call your new found relief and happiness as my payment shall we?" he said as he began to make his way towards the door. Ponyhead nodded eagerly "Anything, anything you need it's yours, thank you so so much!" she yells as Beumont gives a small wave and steps out of the room, making his way out of the castle.

As he arrives out of sight of the grandness that was the Cloud Kingdom of the Ponyheads. His smile turned, and was replaced by an insidious grin. "Good" he uttered darkly as he once more took out the tome and flicked through to find the portal spell he'd used to get here in the first place. "This will work wonders for us, I hope you can fulfil your purpose when the time comes Miss Lilicia Ponyhead" he uttered as he held his left hand forward and began to utter the spell that would let him return to that dark and intimidating citadel in the Helios Badlands.

**Lucitor Citadel-Grand Lucitor Union**

The Butterfly Kingdom was not the only place preparing for the grand event of a royal wedding. It was certainly the busiest and was in overdrive to make every arrangement within the fastest timeframe possible that was for certain. But only slightly less so was the Grand Lucitor Union. It's military also prepared to march alongside their Butterfly Kingdom peers in celebration of the new union in it's oldest and most prominent ally. The troops that weren't being taught proper marching and drill techniques were being briefed and given the full rundown on the events of the day and the precise timings and locations of where each and every man under arms was supposed to be.

Troops that were doing neither of those things, as few and far between as those were, did not escape without their own tasks. Alongside guarding the Kingdom and it's key locations instead of the men who had ceremonial duties to practice for, they also had the additional labour of preparing the hundreds of ceremonial uniforms so that those who would be wearing them could focus on practice for the main event.

Everywhere you looked on the guard positions a soldier was seen to be polishing, buffing or sewing something on some sort of piece of the uniform of the Lucitor Union. The citizens helped where possible but a small number of them seemed unwilling, old loyalists to Helios that had been integrated into the kingdom when the two merged were still somewhat sore from their nation's loss in the conflict and thus not the keenest in most cases to assist the troops that had defeated them.

Still for the most part the kingdom seemed happy in the news of the upcoming marriage and many planned to visit the Butterfly Kingdom and join in the festivities, the promise of these celebrations being one of the greatest nights of splendour and enjoyment was an enticing offer to members of all the Kingdom's of Mewni. Citizens ran about packing up everything they would need setting up a colossal camp where they could be housed outside the Butterfly Kingdom, the kingdom herself naturally not being large enough to house all of the attendees at once. Only those with substantial wealth could afford the luxury of a hotel or a simple bed for the night.

Inside the Lucitor Citadel itself, the Union's own royal couple was preparing for the big event in their own ways. Tom was in his study, A large room with tall ceilings much like all of them were, however this one had been built up with documents and files on his kingdom, a great red flag was draped down his wall, a golden symbol of an angel's wings above a three tiered flame was impressively stitched into the fabric, the great symbol of the Union as it had formed. Tom had been sat in the study for some time, fustratedly attempting to draft together some semblance of a best man's speech, speeches not being his strong suit exactly. The effort was slow going with a growing mountain of crumpled pieces of paper was growing next to a waste paper bin in the corner of the room not too far from Tom's desk.

There was also a small pile of ash piled up next to the bin from when Tom had burned the last mountain of paper as it reached too high, needless to say; his thought process was not going well. He chewed on the end of his pen as thoughts constantly came and went of how to put his ideas into words. 'Christ how the hell do people do this for fun? This is excruciating!' Tom thought to himself as he crumpled and tossed yet another piece of paper onto the evergrowing pile.

A small knock came from the door as the latest crumpled ball of paper tumbled it's way down the mountain of others and nestled somewhere around the middle of the stack. Tom sighed in fustration, at the point of giving in for the day and just walking away to do literally anything else but this. "Come in" he beckoned to the knock, laying his head on the desk with a resounding thud of resignation.

Around the corner poked a long, flowing length of crimson red hair which symbolised very clearly that Tamia was the one who'd come to check in on him. "Hey hun" she called out with a small, loving smile on her lips and a twinge of red in her cheeks as she entered the room. Immediately she was met with the impressively high mountain of waste paper and the, now one hundred and ten percent done, Tom laying his head face down on the desk in exhaustion and fustration. She giggled lightly at his dramatic setup and walked slowly over to the desk before beginning to run a hand through his soft red hair and poking at his horns for fun.

He said something that was muffled by the desk and Tamia didn't catch it and held a hand up to her ear "What was that hun, didn't catch it" she said with a smile as the king lifted his head off the desk and turned to look at his queen with a face that looked like he was in desperate need of sleep.

"I said; first, you know it's not funny to poke a demon's horns right?" he asked with a small smirk as he said it, he knew saying it wouldn't stop her from doing it and if he was being honest, he didn't mind it really. Tamia shook her head with a wide and flirtatious smile on her face "I disagree, but continue" she replied as she reached a hand up and once again poked the top of Tom's horns before giggling to herself as Tom lifted his head a bit further out of her reach.

"Secondly, I'm so done with this speech thing, for real I have no idea how writers exist..it's just...god the idea's come and then you try to put them into words and then you think they sound bad so you try to redo it and eugh!" Tom moaned as he buried his head in the desk once more as fustration over in the corner of his study had driven him to complete and total resignation.

Tamia gave him a sympathetic look and wrapped her arms around his head, hugging him close to her and planting a small kiss at the top of his head. She ran her fingers through his soft hair once more as she thought up response that might convince him to cheer up a bit. After a moment or so of thinking, she finally thought of something and leaned in close to Tom's ear so she could almost whisper it to him.

"Tom, You don't have to write an amazing, shellshock style speech which is gonna blow the crowd away and make you sound like some sort've court announcer or preacher or something yknow" she reassured him as she continued to absentmindedly play with his hair as she spoke gently to her boyfriend. "As long as you speak your mind, tell a funny story or two and you're honest about Star and Marco when the time comes, I'm sure they'll love every word of it okay?" she asked with a kind smile as he lifted his head off the table and looked up into her crimson, glimmering eyes with a look that was filled with love and admiration, a look that was equally returned by her as she planted a small kiss onto his cheek.

Tamia then turned and began walking towards the door gesturing for Tom to follow her out of the room. "Now then, if you're quite recovered, come and help me pick out a dress for the wedding okay?" she asked as she reached the door and took hold of the handle. Tom looked at Tamia, then back down to the desk at the new, blank piece of paper that stood in the same place as all of the others before they had become failed attempts and then back up towards Tamia. "But...but the speech?" he protested awkwardly with a gesture to the blank sheet on his desk.

Tamia rolled her eyes at his protest and then gave a small, flirty smile as she thought up something devious that would be sure to get him to leave his desk. "I'm sure the speech can wait to be written for one day Tom, and besides, you need a break from that desk and this room anyway" she said before turning and opening the door slightly. "Of course, If you don't want to see your beautiful girlfriend model a collection of very flattering dresses, I can always go choose alone" she teased with a small wink towards the boy as she began to inch her way out of the door to further strengthen the ploy.

Tom's eyes went wide as he suddenly realised the opportunity he'd been presented with, and naturally he reasoned that it was impossible for him to say no under these...unique...circumstances. He began to walk quickly towards the door "Yes of course hunny I'd love to come and help you pick out a dress" he said very quickly as if he'd planned to agree this whole time and followed Tamia out of the room as she began to giggle to herself. 'Too easy to win over Tom' she thought as she linked her arm with Tom's and the pair began to walk down the halls towards the dressing rooms of the citadel.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Marco sat in his office, having finally escaped the wedding planners for today and was now attempting to relax as best as he could. The tremendous chaos that King River had managed to cause in just the short time Marco had accidentally trusted him with one simple task had left him exhausted from the effort it took to undue it all. Star was definitely annoyed with him after she found out the true extend of what her dad had managed to do in such a short time, but she couldn't ever stay mad at Marco, especially since Marco hadn't considered how impossibly ludicrous the king could be at times because, well quite frankly who could possibly consider that!?

If the fact he'd tried to convince the servants to gather up battleaxes and swords for the banquet instead of cutlery wasn't bad enough, it was nothing compared to when Marco and Star found out the exact reason why he'd made such a weird choice. It turned out that River had somehow managed to plan out an entire hunt on a range he'd pre-prepared for the banquet. You ate whatever you caught and cooked on whatever fire you could make. The only reason he'd pre-provided weapons was because it was a special occasion. Apparently this was a traditional thing done at Johansen weddings and, since Queen Moon had absolutely forbidden it during their own wedding, he had been secretly arranging one for Star's wedding for years now.

Star had to admit at the time that, the idea and the effort he'd taken was really sweet of her dad. But she definitely was not going to spend her wedding day hunting along with a hundred or so other guests from across Mewni. So along with Marco and with some strong words from Moon when she had heard about it, River finally agreed to have the servants just lay on a normal banquet for the wedding. Although he had managed to negotiate his way into having a meat board in place of a cheese board for after desert, which Star was mostly fine with.

Marco sat back in his chair with a long, exhausted sigh. He allowed the gentle calm of the silent room to wash over him as he tried to refocus his mind back into peace. This however was wishful thinking as the mirror phone in the corner of his office began to ring like crazy, sending an irritating and loud tone wailing through the room. Marco, with a groan as he rose up from his comfortable chair, walked over to the mirror and answered.

"This is Marco, what can I do for..." Marco paused his monotone greeting as surprise took him. The person on the other side of the mirror phone was Ponyhead, even before her father had died this had literally never happened since they'd known each other. After her attitude today he wasn't really in the mood to talk to her, however seeing as how this was very unusual he decided to hear her out.

"Hey Marco...I know, you probably don't really wanna talk to me but..I wanna kinda..apologise for earlier" came the awkward and uneasy voice of the Ponyhead Queen as she was clearly nervous over the rather uneasy situation that the two found themselves in. Marco raised an eyebrow "Well...this is unusual, but I guess it's okay, Star still want's you at the wedding yknow, She just didn't think you were in the best place to be bridesmaid..." Marco paused once again through his explanation as something struck him and he couldn't ignore it once it had.

"Did...you just call me Marco?" he asked with growing curiosity and slight suspicion. Ponyhead feeling bad and apologising for her actions? Okay, believable certainly. Ponyhead calling him Marco and not 'Earth-Turd'? She was either feeling really sick, like 'at the point of dying' sick or something was up and this wasn't actually Ponyhead he was talking to.

Ponyhead nodded "Yeah errm..I sorta figured that calling my bestie's hubby 'Earth-Turd' probably wasn't the best thing to keep doing soo..I'll be trying to stop now...kinda" she replied awkwardly, this interaction was clearly as unnatural for her as it was for Marco and an awkwardness constantly hung in the air as this conversation went on, only growing with time as the two of them barely knew what to say to each other.

"I'll be calling Tamia and Tom too and apologising to them, I've been a real jerk-pony all round here and...well I've had some help and, I feel really really good right now" she said with a small smile as her eyes showed Marco that what she was saying was true, either that or Pony was a really good actor. A possibility Marco knew from personal experience was not true in even the broadest of senses.

"Okay...well I'm glad you're feeling better but, what kinda help?" he asked with increased curiosity. They'd all been trying to help Ponyhead deal with everything for years now and she'd always shut them out, so just who in the heck broke through!? Marco couldn't help but wonder this as it all seemed impossible to him that some unknown person was able to get through where her closest friends, Star included, had been forced aside.

"Oh it was an old dude who said he was called Beumont or Bermont or Bernard or something, he's like a psychic, mystic dude who like..looked into my mind or something and took away the grief and bad stuff I was going through" she answered in a very Ponyhead way, never remembering the fine details and just barely getting the gist across of what happened exactly.

Marco was just about to ask something else when a doorbell sound came from Ponyhead's side of the call "Oooh that's my pizza, I gotta go Marco, I'm sorry about everything and for the record you're making Star real happy soooo keep it up or I'll throw you back to Earth, Okay byeeee!" she said in that rapid, just barely readable voice that she used when she wanted to get a conversation over with and do something that interested or effected her more. The screen then returned to it's blank state as she hung up, leaving Marco standing there in his office, speechless and unable what to think.

He staggered back to his chair and slumped down into it with a soft thud as the cushions adjusted to his weight. He had about a million questions about what had just happened. Why had she been so quick to change her attitude after this morning? What happened exactly with this old guy,where did he come from and why had he helped at all? But most importantly was the question; Just who exactly was the man who had helped Ponyhead?

**A/N: So Ponyhead is no longer stricken with grief, however what motive does Beumont have in relieving her of such a burden? What part does Ponyhead have yet to play in the Grand Vizier's plans? Until next time guys :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- Long Live the Queen**

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Another day passes and once more Star and Marco have spent their time being driven to the brink of insanity by the servants turned wedding planners of Butterfly Castle. Many of the large decisions had been thoroughly decided upon and implemented by now, however the servants still persisted in coming to the couple with every tiny, inconsequential detail over the event. They rushed the couple every waking hour they could, pestering the pair with such astonishingly boring questions as; 'At what time exactly would you like the first course to be brought out', 'How many soup spoons will we need?' or their personal favourite for stupidity 'Are the guests to bring plus ones?'.

Marco and Star of course had already established long ago that guests could bring whoever they liked so long as they let them know, they honestly could not fathom why this was still a matter of debate to the servants. The couple had just finished selecting a type of flowers for the castle bathrooms, as if anyone including themselves would even care, when another servant came by and bowed before the pair. He was a young man in a black butlers outfit with golden buttons running along each side of his coat and a white undershirt with a black tie underneath. His shoes had been polished till they shone like diamonds and his jet black hair had been well groomed and made presentable clearly by a professional. He was young, no older than sixteen by the looks and seemed to be incredibly nervous standing before the couple, behind his back he was nervously fiddling with his thumbs trying to work up the courage to speak and do what he had come here to do.

Marco and Star inhaled deeply in union, both preparing themselves for yet another irrelevant, stupid or even just plain weird question. The servant's look of trepidation on his face did not fade however, a nervousness that none of the others had shown for some time towards the pair. Most of the servants usually came to them with overly enthusiastic joy in their faces and demeanour or would approach formally and with a very serious look as they demanded the couple's views on frankly ludicrous decisions. This servant however was noticeably jittery and shy. The pair figured he might've been a new addition to the castle staff and this had now become his first errand. They looked at each other and nodded deciding that, despite their own exhaustion, they would try their best to make a good impression on this young man.

Marco was the first to break the silence with a voice that was as enthusiastic and friendly as he could muster under the circumstances, although the telltale signs of fatigue still lingered in his tone. "Can we help you?" he asked to which the man responded by looking Marco dead in the eye for a moment, realising that he probably should get around to speaking fairly soon lest he look strange. "Errm..yes your majesty..that is to say errm...oh dear I've said the wrong...I've been told to..." the man's nerves took hold and he struggled to rationalise his sentence. In his head he'd run over this time after time, rehearsing as he paced the halls of the castle towards Star and Marco. He knew the words by heart so why wasn't he just saying them.

Star interrupted the young man's panicked thoughts with a voice that rang with sympathy, her kind eyes and smile reassuring the man as he looked directly at the princess of Mewni. "You're new here aren't you?" she asked him. The boy simply responded at first with a nervous nod "Y..Yes your highness, I started a couple of days ago" he answered with a shakiness to his voice. Star nodded and with a smile she attempted to reassure the servant "It's okay, just take your time, breathe and let us know what you've been told to do" she said in a calm and defusing tone which seemed to put the nervous teen's mind at ease.

He straightened himself up and attempted to stand tall and once more look more formal as he mentally ran through his lines once more. He took a deep breath and sighed, calming his mind as much as he could before looking up to the couple, who were still smiling kindly towards him, and he began. "Your Highness, Sir Marco, I have been sent to inform you that Queen Moon and King River have requested your presence without delay in the throne room". The servant's prior nerves had somewhat vanished, although he still shakily looked up for a response, silently praying that they didn't ask anything he didn't know the answer to in response.

Star and Marco gave each other a nervous look that lingered for a moment as this was clearly not what they had expected to hear. Queen Moon had seldom interfered in the affairs with the wedding as she was tending to the daily administration of the kingdom for the most part. Although she did help out briefly when River had gotten out of control with the cutlery situation but that had been for the most part because River will do most anything if Moon is the one who asks him to.

Star looked back towards the nervous looking servant who was standing up as straight as a board and immobile, awaiting his dismissal so that he could finally go. Star smiled uneasily, "Did my mother happen to say what she wanted exactly?" she asked in a settling tone. The young man bowed low at the waist almost immediately, surprising the couple with how rapidly he'd conducted the action. "I'm sorry your highness, she would not tell me why, only that you were requested immediately!" he declared apologetically as his eyes faced the ground, unmoving from his bowed posture until he felt a hand on his shoulder which lightly pulled up making the young man rise back up to a fully standing position.

It had been Marco's hand, the knight now smiling and a small chuckle emerging from his lips as the servant still remained jittery and nerve racked. "It's okay, you're allowed to not know things you know" Marco reassured him, "You did a good job thank you, You're dismissed okay, go relax a bit" he ordered with a laugh as he pat the servant on his back. The young man nodded and nervously thanked the couple before leaving at a quickened pace down the hallways.

"New ones are always fun to get aren't they?" Marco said with a chuckle towards Star who giggled lightly in response "He did well, thought he was gonna pass out from nerves at one point" she giggled as the two linked hands and began their trip down the grand and astonishingly lavish hallways of Butterfly Castle towards the throne room. Neither of them could ignore the questions that ran through their minds for very long however as both of them grew curious as to why the King and Queen had requested a formal meeting for once. Typically they discussed any business over meals which they all took together as a sort've 'Family time' between them. It was very much out of the ordinary for the couple to be summoned like this.

Marco was the one who broke the tension as the couple walked down the halls of the castle, he looked down from the corner of his eyes to Star. She was looking straight ahead, her smile having faded and a look of what almost seemed to Marco like worry was slowly beginning to show itself in her expression. "So, What do you think Moon and River want to talk to us about anyway?" he asked with some trepidation as Star nervously looked up to meet his gaze, a contemplative expression on her face. "Do you think it has anything to do with that call you got from Ponyhead the other night?" Star asked as she thought her way through possibilities.

Marco was confused by this suggestion and turned to his fiancé "Why would it have anything to do with that? She was just apologising for her behaviour during our announcement" Marco said with a questioning look towards Star who shrugged and replied "Marco you have no idea how unusual it is for Ponyhead to apologise for anything, much less with how things have been recently..I just think that its odd is all" she said with a grim look of doubt as she wondered about just what had happened to make her oldest friend change her tune at the drop of a hat as she did.

Marco saw this look and frowned, attempting to think of some way that he could cheer Star up once again, thinking for a moment as the couple continued to make their way closer and closer to the throne room. A lightbulb moment went off in the Knight's mind as he thought of something perfect for cheering up his wife to be. "Yknow, I think Ponyhead is just happy that..well that you're happy, heck she said she'd throw me back to Earth herself if I didn't 'keep up the good work'" Marco said with a chuckle which made Star smirk for a moment as she tried to hold off her own laughter and appear serious.

"Okay Marco" she said with a voice that made it sound like she was relenting from her worry. "That's in character for her at least to care for my well-being and...well threaten people to guarantee it but.." Star hesitated for a moment "There's just one thing that's bugging me about what you said happened" as the Princess' face returned to one of concern and pondering as if her mind was now racing to come up with explanations for everything that was going on. Marco was puzzled, "What's bugging you about it?" he asked as he gently squeezed Star's hand in his own, beckoning her to answer him.

Star stopped just shy of the grand oak doorway to the throne room, these doors were tall and thick with an intricate and detailed carving of the Butterfly Family crest cut deep into the timber of the door itself. The heavy doors were made all the more heavy by the steel reinforcement with colossal rivets that lined them, bracing them in case they were ever attacked and had to seek a final stand within the confines of the castle itself. They had certainly learned much from the war in the way of defending the kingdom in the future. Before these mighty doors Star asked Marco a simple question in a serious tone. "Marco...Who is Beumont?".

As Marco attempted to think of an answer for this, his thinking was interrupted as the great oak doors creaked open with a mighty sound of strain taking hold of their gigantic, iron hinges. The doors swung open and revealed the grand and breathtaking space that was the throne room of the Butterfly Kingdom, the largest room in the castle and by far the most well crafted in what was obviously a labour of devotion for the builders who had been responsible for it's reconstruction.

The walls were a beautiful mixture of colours from purples, pinks and oranges which blended together to resemble the beautiful star-filled skies of Mewni. They were lined on each side on the approach towards the throne with beautifully painted portraits of the past Queens of Mewni which were framed in the most pristine and well polished golden frames that the Mewnian goldsmiths could craft. Each queen had a small granite pillar before her portrait with her title and a short poem of her deeds for Mewni before it. The central path was marked by a grand purple carpet with a golden seam at each side leading all the way up to and up a set of stairs until it reached the two thrones themselves.

Overlooking the whole space were the grand thrones of Mewni themselves, on the right as you approached was the throne of the Queen, A large throne of polished, pale blue crystal which seemed to glow blue as the light from the room hit the throne. The throne on the left side was a smaller, matching throne on which the King of Mewni would sit, always at the right hand of the Queen as not only her husband, but her naturally by extension her most trusted advisor and confidant.

The throne room was mostly empty of people save for Queen Moon, King River, Star and Marco and a small number of guards who lined the path leading up to the throne at regular intervals, dressed in the uniforms of the palace guard and carrying cutlass style swords which sat in black leather scabbards at each of the guards hips. Marco and Star began walking slowly up the path towards the throne, on which were sat Queen Moon and King River.

Moon was dressed in her usual pale blue dress with a pair of elbow length deep blue gloves which covered the purple, veiny scars of corrupting magic which still lingered on the Queen's arms, decades after she had used Eclipsa's magic to stop Toffee's army. Her pale blue hair was done into what almost looked to be a rough heart shape atop her head. A small, golden crown with a large, pink diamond at it's centre also sat atop the Queen's head. Leaning against the throne was her staff which served the Queen as both a walking aid and as a way of channelling her magic ever since her Butterfly form had been brutality and mercilessly torn away from her in a very literal sense when she had fought Helvete.

At her right hand sat King River, he himself also sported a golden crown with a similarly large diamond atop his bald head with a long and flowing blonde moustache and beard which reached down past his chest covering most of his face. He wore a pale blue, simplistic uniform which sported golden shoulder boards, displaying his authority to all that looked upon the king. Leaned against his own throne was another staff, although not possessing any prowess in magic whatsoever, it was an heirloom of the Butterfly family that was held by the standing king at all times. It was a long, thin staff taller than River himself. At it's summit was a large blue crystal which had been carved and polished to resemble a large crescent moon and star shape.

Star and Marco came to a stop at the foot of the short stairwell leading up to the platform that the thrones presided. Both royal couples looked at each other with smiles as for a moment, the current king and queen simply took in the sight of the future ones. This silent observation lasted for mere moments before Moon broke the silence. "Hello Star, Hello Marco, you two look exhausted" she greeted with a loving smile on her face as she giggled lightly as she observed the pair of them, their hands linked still and expressions of fatigue across their faces from another day of being hounded by the castle staff as they stood before the king and queen.

"The staff just don't let up.." Star groaned aloud "I've never cared less about the contents of a gift bag in my entire life". Marco nodded in exhausted agreement, causing Moon and River to chuckle and exchange a knowing smile as they remember the feeling from their own wedding day. "You Know Moon-pie, I still say that the day could've been even better had you let me decide on a couple more things?" he said with wide and mischievous grin. Moon shot him a look of doubt "River we're not getting into another argument about why holding the wedding inside the forest of certain death would've been a terrible idea, I don't care if you think it would've been more fun to fight off monsters during the ceremony" she scolded the King who sat back in his throne with a chuckle before looking down at Marco and another mischievous smile took form on his lips as a bright idea came to his head.

"Marco my boy!" he declared in a loud and enthusiastic voice "Before Moon-pie gets along with her announcement, I was wondering if you'd like to come on a hunting trip with me before the wedding?" he asked, his eyes seemed to shimmer with delight as he mentioned the hunting trip, clearly his enthusiasm for the great outdoors did not fade with age. Marco responded as he scratched the back of his head, something he always did when he was nervous. "Errm sure, did you have something particular in mind?" Marco asked with an unsure tone as he looked up to the king.

River's face suddenly turned extremely serious, startling everyone else in the room with the sudden change in his expression. He looked directly into Marco's eyes, almost as if he was looking through him which made Marco feel extremely uneasy and suddenly desperate for a distraction from this odd event. His voice low and serious, in as dramatic a way as the king was capable of he spoke in a dark tone "The Bogbeast of Boggabah". Star and Moon immediately brought their palms up and slapped their foreheads in fustration, the pair of them knowing all too well what River was planning with this. Marco, confused at Star and Moon's reaction and thinking that this was simply another of Mewni's crazy, wild and unpredictable creatures that River just happened to hunt responded with a nervous sounding "Errrm..sure? I guess I can do that" he began to answer before Star placed a hand over his mouth, stopping him from saying anything further.

"No no no Marco, trust me...do not agree to it" she said gently as she shook her head with a disapproving expression on her face as her hand remained firmly over her Fiancé's lips to silence him for a moment. Moon shot a look of annoyance towards her husband and shook her head in silence. River moped for a moment and slunk back into his chair "Errm..some other time then my boy, we have other matters for now" he relented unhappily as the four of them prepared to talk properly. Moon waved Star and Marco towards a couple of chairs that had been brought into the room by the servants. "Please sit you two, you're going to want to be sat down for this anyway" she said with a kind smile towards the couple.

Marco immediately took a seat and looked up to the thrones with a curious expression. Star however was more hesitant, curious as to why her mum was being so odd about this, and..an announcement? Just what exactly was going on? She shot Moon a suspicious look which Moon immediately picked up on and responded to with a small, loving smile and a gentle "Please sweetie, I promise you it's nothing bad" she reassured her daughter. Star nodded lightly, still not entirely convinced, however she obeyed and took a seat beside Marco, taking a firm hold of his hand for support in case this was bad news.

Moon sat back in her throne, taking a deep breath and for a moment, it seemed like she was taking in the room and observing it properly for a number of moments, almost as if it would be the last time she'd see it. Marco and Star looked on with curiosity and nervousness as Moon remained silent for this entire time. Eventually though, the Queen sighed and looked back down towards the young couple with a sweet, caring smile on her face. "Now, firstly..I'm sure it has become more than obvious that my suffering at the hands of..." she hesitated for a while as she saw the face and name of the man who had single handedly torn apart her kingdom and caused her to lose her beautiful butterfly form.

"..At the hands of Helvete..has left me in a state where I am significantly weakened and unable to properly conduct my full role as Queen of Mewni" Moon shifted awkwardly in her seat, still somewhat feeling the loss of her wings, almost like a phantom limb she could almost feel them like they had never been removed, but she knew all too well that they most certainly were gone forever. A small tear entered the corner of her eye, but Moon swept it aside, she would not give into her emotions before this was done.

"That man...that monster..." she began with a voice that seethed in rage at the idea of Helvete and all he had done to her kingdom before she managed to calm down slightly "..he took much from all of us, the entire kingdom suffered at his hand." she thought back to those days, two years can go by surprisingly quickly as it turns out, it all felt so long ago now and yet the wounds still seemed so fresh to her. She allowed the thoughts to vanish from her mind, she couldn't let herself get distracted, and she returned to talking as she looked down towards a now very concerned and worried looking Star and Marco.

"I don't think I have to tell you, it's more than obvious after all.." Moon hesitated, glancing down at the thin, dazzlingly white staff which leaned against her throne with a small frown on her face as she did so "I'm growing weaker and weaker by the day, I have not been able to attend to the affairs of the kingdom which is why you and Marco have taken on many more of the royal duties". Marco and Star nodded, unsure where exactly the queen was going with this, however they were definitely all too aware of her worsening condition as the days wore on.

Moon smiled, nodding to herself as if she had just mentally decided on something "I said once before that I never wanted to become a queen who simply sits behind a desk and attends to paperwork all day, everyday and trust me when I tell you that I mean to stand by that statement" she made clear in a much more commanding voice, her resolve behind that statement on display as clear as day. "So that is why, I have decided in light of your wedding day, I will formally abdicate the throne, and the crown will pass to you Star" Moon said with a gentle smile towards her daughter.

Star and Marco gasped with surprise, they knew that Moon was feeling much weaker than she had been but they had never expected her to give up the throne this quickly. Neither of them really knew what to say and simply sat there in a state of shock for a few moments, unable to process the news. Moon took this opportunity to lay down a last couple of details to them. "I will make the speech to the citizens tomorrow, informing them of my decision and your coronation will be a joint event with the wedding, the servants will talk to you about the details necessary" she said gently, however this last part was met with joint looks of horror on the young couple's faces.

"No no no, Mum giving me the throne is fine but please for the love of everything that is sacred do not make me go through anything else with the servants!" Star begged with a pained look in her eyes as all she could think about was many more days of the stupidest and most pointless questions she had ever received about factors she did not care about. Marco nodded at Star's outburst "Honestly, it's been non-stop just for the wedding, they'll never leave us with a second's peace if we have to organise the coronation too" he moaned in an exhausted tone up to the queen.

Moon simply giggled at the pair and their display of mutual disdain for dealing with the servants turned event planners. "I know it's a pain to deal with, but it won't last forever I promise" the queen reassured the couple who, in unison, moaned in response, drawing another giggle from the queen before she smiled lovingly down towards the young couple. "I know that you'll do me proud you two, you're going to be a great King and Queen you know that right?" she spoke in a loving and motherly tone down to the pair, who smiled and glanced at each other with small blushes growing on their cheeks.

**The Badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

Footsteps echoed through the dim and dingy hallways of the abandoned citadel dungeons. The wind from outside could be heard howling through the rooms above, muffled only by the thick stone walls which separated the dungeon rooms from the cold and hostile badlands above. The entire space was only partially lit by small braziers which were positioned down the hallways at regular intervals, some of which contained small fires which flickered and licked at the stone walls, gradually blackening them with the soot and ash which dropped from the small, cage like fire pits.

The footsteps were precise and measured, as if the person taking them was mentally timing the space between each one, an act which immediately revealed to everyone else in this dingy and depressing space exactly who was joining them. Sophia crossed her arms and huffed "Eugh, Verlock's back" she spat in a disgusted tone as if the mention of the name simply annoyed her. She was leaning up against one of the walls in a darkened corner of the grand room where the only surviving Helios flag had been hung and enshrined by the group.

Next to her, sat with his back to the wall was Tyrius, a teenage boy with long, brown hair which had been tied up into a single knot at the back of his head. He didn't acknowledge the announcement that Sophia had made in even the slightest of ways, too embroiled was he in his current task. He sat holding a sharpening stone and was, with a tremendous amount of care, sharpening the edge of the pair of hooked swords which gleamed as the light hit them. Ensuring that the edge was sharp enough to cut through whatever the boy saw fit with ease.

In the other corner of the room, sitting at a small desk that was surrounded on all sides by mountains of books and papers, scrolls and ancient looking tomes, was sat Beumont. As per usual he was buried in his studies, his head deep in an ancient tome filled with rituals and long forgotten magic that for most of Mewni had been forever lost to the ravages of time. This old man never relented in studies of this type, any ancient secret or long forgotten ritual could be the key factor in seeing the elderly mystic's plans coming to fruition.

The footsteps drew into the room and the pale and squinting features of the Spymaster Verlock emerged from the darkness into the room. He was tall and thin with a black suit and tie and a skin tone that made him look like his blood had been replaced with milk. He carried a small dagger at his hip, a simplistic thing and looked almost brand new, it was clear at a glance he didn't resort to it's use much. He, still measuring his footsteps in a precise manner, drew himself towards the desk and came to a halt shortly before it.

The elderly mystic barely looked up from his texts and simply spoke when he heard the footsteps stop. "Yes Verlock? Make your report" he commanded while turning over the dusty and half-crumbling page. Verlock reached into his pocket and took out a small notebook, flicking through it rapidly to find where he had placed the note, eventually settling on a page and placing his finger on it to mark the position he needed to read.

"Your Excellency sir, our spies in the Butterfly Kingdom have indicated that Queen Moon is due to abdicate at the wedding of Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz, marking the wedding as Star Butterfly's official coronation date as well" Verlock read aloud in an official sounding but snake-like voice which reeked of dishonesty and deception, a hard habit to get rid of due to his trade it seems.

Beumont, upon hearing this smiled a devious and sinister grin as he gently closed the tome he had been sifting through, sending a cloud of dust into the air as the ancient book slammed shut. The old mystic looked up and straight into Verlock's eyes and with an tone that had a mixture of excitement and sinister intent about it began to speak. "Good work Spymaster, good work indeed" he commanded as he rose to his feet and faced the man eye to eye.

"Everything is lining up perfectly, our plans will be realised before we know it, but for now we have much work to do and not a lot of time to do it" he said as he mentally planned and schemed through the next few actions that the order would have to take to achieve their goal. "First thing's first Verlock, I need your agents to gather up as much detail about the event as they can, with special regard towards security arrangements, timings and the layout of Butterfly Castle, ensure we get as much detail as is possible while remaining discreet, if we are discovered too soon then all will be lost is that clear!?" Beumont ordered to the spymaster who had taken out a pencil and was by now scrawling hastily written, shorthand notes of these orders to relay to his agents in the field.

Once his notes were complete he slammed to book shut and placed it and the pencil into the pocket of his suit jacket, safe and close to him at all times. "It will be done your Excellency, I will have a complete report for you inside of 48 hours" he declared with confidence before turning on his heel and once more taking those measured, precise and drawn out steps out of the room. When he had left, Beumont turned to face the two others who had been sat up against the wall this entire time, simply observing the conversation between the Spymaster and Grand Vizier.

"Sophia" Beumont said as he directed his gaze to the muscular and scar coated women who leaned against the wall, her arms folded and fists clenched in disgust as she watched Verlock leave the room. She turned to look at Beumont who was making his way towards her and Tyrius, his eyes filled with fire and passion unlike she had seen for a long time. This took her interest and the old man had earned her attention "Yes, your Excellency?" she asked, awaiting her orders with a curious glare.

"Go and drag Conaris from whatever hole he's in and bring him to me immediately, I have a job for him to do as well, if he protests.." the old man chuckled to himself as the thought crossed his mind "Well...I'm sure someone as capable as yourself has ways to make him do what you want" he said in a sinister tone as Sophia grinned knowingly at the old man. She cracked her knuckles and made her way towards the door, rolling her shoulders as if she was preparing for a fight. Beumont watched her leave 'God save Conaris if he kicks up a fuss against her' he thought to himself before looking down towards Tyrius.

The teenager was still dutifully sharpening his swords, the blade's edges was by now sharp enough to cut you just by touching it, yet it was never sharp enough for the boy. Never sharp enough for the person who he desired to sink his blades into the most. The boy looked up to see the shabby black hair and dark beard of the old mystic looking down on him. Tyrius barely reacted to this and simply waited for whatever the old man wanted to say. "Tyrius my boy, I have a job for you" the old man said with a grin as he stared deep into the boy's eyes, with his abilities he saw into the endless storm and destructive wishes that the boy possessed, all of it aimed and focused like a razors edge towards a single target.

"Do I finally get to run my swords through that miserable Earthling's heart?" Tyrius asked with a seething hatred in his voice at the mere mention of the man who had been responsible for the death of his father. Beumont shook his head gently, "Not yet child, but trust me...complete this task, and you will very soon have your chance to rid the world of Marco Diaz once and for all" he uttered darkly, knowing that this would be more than enough incentive to get Tyrius to do as he says.

Tyrius inspects his swords, observing the sharpness of the edge and at the tip of each hook before leaning forward from the wall in order to place both of them back into the scabbards on his back. Once this was done the teenager stood up and looked Beumont dead in the eyes, his resolve and determination to see his father avenged revealed all at once in the boy's fiery gaze. "Tell me what I have to do"

**A/N: Moon announces her abdication and Beumont is making further plans, what could the old mystic be planning and how will it impact Mewni? Until next time guys :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-The Princess and her Knight**

**Inside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Marco awoke as the dawn crested over the horizon, illuminating the Mewnian landscape a bright and beautiful orange almost as if the sky itself had been set ablaze. He hauled himself out of bed, his feet coming into contact with the cold stone below his comfortable and warm sheets. The knight half expected to see Star already awake and pestering him to get up ,as had been the case for most every morning for the last few years, but this morning was an exception. 'Hmm, least it's not for long' Marco thought as he remembered the old wedding tradition of the Bride and Groom being unable to see each other until the big event.

He shrugged and walked over to his closet, opening it up to reveal a mixture of outfits dependent on his needs. Although the vast majority of the outfits inside were his seemingly infinite supply of red hoodies. However today was not a day to be wearing those, the Knight picked out his most formal and finely decorated ceremonial attire which he wore to most every major event that the Butterfly Kingdom hosted.

The outfit consisted of a double breasted jacket which was pale blue with four pairs of golden, highly polished, buttons engraved with the Butterfly family crest which ran down the jacket at even intervals. Each pair of buttons was connected by a white-silk cord and a pair of golden shoulder boards sat at the top of the jacket. Each of the shoulder boards was carefully crafted denoting in black steel the symbol of Marco's rank, denoting a crown which lay above two orb-topped sceptres, all of which was surrounded by a greatly detailed laurel wreath, symbolising Marco as the Knight-Commander of the Mewnian Army. A title that he had held for around a year now ever since King River had stepped back from the role to ensure he could take care of Queen Moon.

A pair of black trousers and black, highly polished shoes also accompanied the outfit. Marco had spent a massive amount of the free time he'd had polishing, ironing and adding fine detail to this outfit personally. It was true he certainly could've asked one of the castle staff to do it, they were more than capable and willing after all, however he couldn't bring himself to allow anyone else to tamper with the most important outfit he'd ever wear. After all, he was getting married in it today.

Marco's smile grew wide with that thought as he hung the outfit next to his dressing table. He honestly for a moment couldn't believe the day was finally here, the day he finally got to marry his best friend like they had planned for years now. It was certainly worth the week of undeniable terror that the couple had endured from the castle staff and their persistent questioning of every possible miniscule detail of the event, towards the end they had even started to ask what kind of scents should be in the air for the kingdom? Could they even change something like that? Marco wondered seriously for a moment before shaking the thought away. 'It didn't matter now anyway, all that mattered was the day ahead of them' Marco thought to himself with a euphoric grin as he headed towards the bathroom for his morning shower.

Elsewhere in the castle, a blonde-haired girl had flicked her eyes open. An immediate expression of Joy and eagerness drew across her features as she realised what today was and she leapt out of bed with a literal bound of joy. Star's bare feet landed on the cold floor below and she jumped again with the sudden sensation but quickly adapted and rushed towards her dressing room. Once inside she began to gawk at her beautifully crafted wedding gown which was currently laid out on a mannequin that was the same height and build as herself. Star's eyes went wide and began glistening with excitement as the heart marks on her cheeks started to glow a bright red as she observed the stunning dress in all of it's glory.

The dress was a dazzlingly white gown that gave of a glow pure as an angel's light as the sunlight splashed off it from the nearby window which had allowed the bright Mewnian morning to enter the castle. Against the near endless pleading of every designer and seamstress in all of Mewni, the dress was extraordinarily simplistic compared to past wedding attires that previous Princesses and Queens of Mewni had worn in the past. However this was exactly what Star wanted. She had more than enough dresses and outfits that were almost over the top with how much finery and lavish materials they showed off.

The dress was long sleeved with miniscule, subtle pink coloured cuts of Morganite gemstones were dotted throughout it, adding not only a subtle texture but also caused the light to scatter off the dress in multiple bands of majestic pink. A thin sash of pink silk tied around the waist of the dress and the shoes were a pair of beautiful white flats with heart shaped pink diamonds sitting in a thin golden trim were pressed into where the laces would've been on any other shoe.

Her veil was crafted from white, silk tulle which flowed down to just an inch or so above the pink sash and was hung from a beautifully hand-crafted silver crown which was decorated with the impressions of vines and leaves all surrounding a large, heart shaped pink diamond which sat at the forefront of the crown. Star simply beamed as she took in how well her dress looked and was simply bubbling with excitement that she could not contain for a moment as every molecule of her being was screaming at her to put it on. She took a deep breath and sighed however, attempting to calm down a bit. 'It won't be too long Star' she thought to herself with a small smile and blush as she began to make her way to her bathroom to wash up for the day 'Just a little longer'.

**Outside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Outside the castle in the freshly scrubbed, beautified and well-decorated streets of Mewni, the people of the Butterfly Kingdom were themselves awaking and beginning their morning preparations for the glorious day ahead of them. Rumours abound had spread about the wedding also marking the coronation, however no confirmation had yet come from the castle aside from one or two 'extraordinarily merry' castle guards in the taverns. Even without solid confirmation however, merchants had jumped on this potential with speed that was only partially fuelled by the gold they could practically smell in the air with such a large event.

Already as market stalls across the kingdom opened their doors for business, many of the owners extraordinarily eager to work as the potential for profit went through the roof on royal events, they had been stocked to the rafters with Royal marriage merchandise as well as official coronation and patriotic nick-knacks which noone really needed but were selling like ice-cream on a hot summer day. Some of the most dedicated royalists in the kingdom had already taken their positions for the parade, commanding the greatest views of the central square and of Butterfly Castle itself at which every important speech and event would take place save for the ceremony itself which was to be behind closed doors, seen only by those that had been invited.

Troops began to gather and make final preparations for the grand parade. Each man was conducting checks on his fellow soldier's uniform to ensure that every one of them was perfect as could be and that noone would look a shambles for such an important event. The Knights ordered their squires into squadrons to conduct final inspections which were thorough to the point of being a little over the top, even a minor loose thread could earn a squire severe disciplinary action.

Other soldiers were formed up in squadrons which were now putting the final polish on their drill routines. Ensuring that their drill was snappy and crisp in it's movements. A man stood at the head of the formation in a well pressed blue uniform with golden buttons, highly polished and displaying the Butterfly family crest much like the others. On his chest were pinned several medals with brightly coloured ribbons denoting various service awards and campaigns that the knight had fought in, a highly polished metal coin denoting the medal's title and a special insignia dependant on the medal pressed onto it hanging from each one. He also sported a golden handled, cutless style sword, the handle of which was wrapped with deep red leather pinned to the handle with small, silver pins and a golden rank slide on each shoulder holding the symbol of two black silk diamonds below a black Mewnian crown, the symbol of a Senior-Knight.

The knight brought himself smartly to attention, his chest pushed out and head held high with pride as he prepared to command his squadron. "5th Squadron, Attention!" came the commanding, loud voice of the knight as the squires in the formation brought themselves into attention with a loud stomp as boots hit the ground. The knight then ran his eyes along each of the squires in the formation, scrutinizing their posture and positioning heavily with his experienced eyes, within seconds he pointed at one of the squires in the second row and yelled across "2nd row number 3!" the sudden alert caused the squire in question to straighten up, ready for whatever he'd done wrong to be brought to light. "Adjust your headgear boy! Last time I saw something so off kilter I was watching a sinking ship!" the knight yelled in an insulting tone to the young squire, who adjusted and straightened out his cap immediately.

Acts like these took place everywhere across the kingdom as this day was to be perfect as a matter of pride for the army, after all, they were on display not only to their commander but their princess and future queen as well. Elsewhere in the kingdom, the Skylords of the Mewnian airship squadron were in the final preps of their mighty flying machines to conduct fly-over operations during the parade. Smoke canisters to assist in sky-writing were fitted and colossal flags were fitted and covered the mighty balloons which allowed the airships to fly. The airship's guns were polished and their outer walls were painted in a glorious sky-blue as grease and oil slicked engineers ran tests on all the mechanical parts to ensure that everything would run perfectly for the entirety of the celebration.

As all these preparations were being made, a swirling blue portal opened just inside of the gates of Butterfly Castle. The castle guard stood to attention, lined up along a grand red carpet which lead up to the grand and ornately carved oakwood doors of the castle, preparing to welcome the first of the distinguished guests of the Princess and Knight of Mewni.

Through the portal stepped a resplendent looking Tom and Tamia, who were dressed fully in their chosen and exceedingly formal clothing for the special day. They had arrived early as they could to manage their duties as Best man and Maid of honour respectively. The pair of them had come in their best despite their mutual love of dressing rather casually.

Tom had come dressed in a formal military-style uniform which consists of a black, double breasted tunic with 3 pairs of red buttons keeping it together along with a red sash tied around his waist. Pinned to his chest was a small rack of medals which shone with pride as the Mewnian sunrise hit them and bounced off, nearly blinding nearby troops. The uniform also sported a pair of black trousers whose seams were covered at each side of both legs by red silk whose line lead down into a pair of black, shin high leather boots.

He carried a golden basket-hilted, sword which hung from his waist on his left side. The basket-style handguard of the hilt was formed from golden, flame designs which were highly polished with the steel of the sword hidden inside a black leather scabbard with a golden, flame shaped chape at it's tip. Hanging from his shoulder as a crimson red aguillette which hung down to just below the king's chest before rising back up to the shoulder to form a loop. The entire look was completed by the golden crown of the Lucitor Union, which was shaped similar to golden flames and centred around three red diamonds which were cut carefully into small, flame shapes which when together formed a triple peaked flame.

Tamia on the other hand wore a much more simplistic outfit. It was an elegant and figure-hugging gown which hung down to her ankles. The dress was crimson red and sparkled lightly with tiny, hidden sequins scattered randomly thoughout the gown, enabling it to shimmer lightly as the sun danced off the curves and small folds of the dress itself. Her hair was done into a single ponytail which flowed gently down to her lower back weaved into a simple braid. Topping off the look was her own small crown, balanced gently atop her head. Crafted from highly polished and fine crafted gold which centred around a beautiful, oval cut sunstone which glimmered brightly in the morning sun.

Tamia and Tom made their way towards the great castle doors slowly and with as much formality as the pair could muster despite their mutual excitement. Tom couldn't help himself sneaking glances towards Tamia as they walked the short distance, she looked so perfect and every curve of her body was perfectly formed by the dress as he watched her in what felt like slow motion. He couldn't help but internally picture what it would be like to see her dressed in something much more..white, with a veil and bouquet. But the King was interrupted from his daydreaming as he heard Tamia's voice call out to him.

"Thomas Lucitor!" Tamia half-yelled as he came to his senses, startled and confused as to what was happening exactly. "Wha...what?" he spluttered, looking around him in confusion before his eyes locked onto a slightly annoyed looking pair of crimson red ones. Tamia gave a small look of concern "Jeez, you doing okay? I was talking to you for a while now and you haven't said anything..heck you almost tripped on the stairs back there" she said with a worried tone as Tom looked behind him to see that he'd somehow made it all the way through the courtyard and up the stairway to the front doors of Butterfly castle.

He gave a nervous smile "aha errm..." he struggled to explain exactly why he'd been so far away from reality. The king then felt a gentle squeeze on his hand and looked down to see his fingers intertwined with Tamia's. "You sure you're okay hun?" she asked, her look of slight concern now replaced with full on worry as the couple's eyes met. Tom chuckled to himself at the absurdity of his nervousness about being honest with this girl he'd been in love with for two years now.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he looked deep into her beautiful, fire filled crimson eyes and struggled with how to put his thoughts "Well..it's just that, It's a wedding day and, you look so beautiful and I couldn't help but think..." the final words struggled with Tom as he tried to say them, but before he could Tamia put a finger to his lips and smiled up at him with a mischievous grin as if she already knew what he was talking about.

"Nice as that would be Tom.." she whispered as she placed a small kiss on his cheek before making her way towards the door of the castle, looking back with a flirtatious look, slightly showing off her curves as she entered the castle "You're gonna have to ask nicely before I'll consider it". Tamia winked at the rather baffled looking king before turning to go and find Star, leaving a confused and open mouthed Tom standing in the door until he suddenly came back to his senses. Blushing heavily as he looked around to see if anyone witnessed the King's moment of confusion and daydreaming, only to be met with the faces of the castle staff and guards all looking away in very poor act like they hadn't seen anything. Tom quickly walked into the castle to look for Marco, blushing heavily the entire way.

**Inside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Star walked out of the bathroom of her room. She had two extremely fluffy and bright pink towels, one wrapped around her body and the other wrapped around her head and hair. She hummed cheerfully as she walked over towards her dressing table, drips of water hitting the hard floor below as she stepped across the room. She took a seat in front of the large mirror of her dressing table. The table itself was full of seemingly random bottles and boxes alongside different makeup and beauty tools which were arranged haphazardly around the space. Star giggled to herself, the chaotic dressing table before her reminding her of her side of the bathroom when she had first gone to live with Marco on Earth all those years ago.

The memories seemed so long ago now but ever so sweet and perfect to her as she couldn't help but get lost in the ocean of her past years that she had spent at Marco's side. All of it, every last memory had been a stepping stone to today and she relished in each one which came to mind as she sat there in daydreaming bliss for a few moments. Her daydreams however eventually being interrupted as a loud knock came from the door, snapping Star out of her trance as her head shot towards the door. "Who is it?" she asked as she pulled the towel up slightly.

A kind but slightly shy voice came from behind the door "Hey, It's Tamia, Can I come in?" she asked with a cautious nature to her voice as Star sighed in relief. Star smiled and, while still staring over to the door, replied "Yeah of course, just yknow...close the door after" as she kept herself as covered as possible. The door creaked open and Tamia crept through the thin gap before closing it again, ensuring noone could look in on the two before turning around to look at Star.

Star beamed as she watched Tamia walk in, almost squealing with delight as she saw her dress and how well she had done her hair and makeup for the day. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Star almost squealed as she looked at Tamia "You look incredible, god I wish I had your curves I'm Jealous!". Tamia blushed heavily as she looked down at her figure, she couldn't deny she liked her figure. But she didn't think there was anything particularly special about how she looked, Star was probably exaggerating a tad. Tamia smiled brightly towards the blonde haired princess "Awh, Thanks Star, but you're gonna look incredible in that dress" Tamia replied as she looked over to the pristine and beautifully crafted dress hung nearby.

Star beamed brightly as she looked towards the dress, jumping about in her chair like a child who'd just gotten an new toy. She giggled and got up, taking hold of Tamia's hands and dragging the girl towards her dressing room. "Cmon! Let's get started already!" Star impatiently and excitedly yelled as the two of them went to get her ready for the big day ahead.

Elsewhere in the castle, Marco had finished his own shower and was now stood before a mirror, drying his hair off with a extraordinarily soft purple towel, taking his time and ensuring that all of the moisture had been soaked up from his hair before he could begin working on it. A knock came from the door on the far side of the room and the Knight turned to face it with a curious look on his face. "Come in" he ordered and the door creaked open to reveal Tom, still slightly blushing from his previous conversation with Tamia.

Marco smiled upon seeing his friend but then noticed that Tom was acting kinda strange, almost timid which was so unlike him. "Hey man, what's up you look kinda..embarressed" Marco asked with concern as he got up to talk to his best man. Tom nodded and took a seat in a nearby armchair at the corner of the room "Hey Marco, yeah I'm good I just...I got a couple things on my mind is all" he answered with an unsure tone to his voice as Marco also took a seat just in front of him. "Well, we got a little time before we gotta get ready, whats up?" he asked as he looked towards the demon king for an answer.

Tom sighed and looked up to Marco with a look of surrender on his face "Marco...how...did you propose to Star?" he asked nervously. The question took Marco back somewhat, he certainly didn't expect Tom to ask something like that, moreover why would he ask something like that? Unless...was he going to? Marco shook the thought for a second, deciding to answer Tom's question before jumping to conclusions. "Well, it was the day before we went to go fight Helvete for the last time...Star was patching me up after we fought Kahchi and well.." Marco paused for a second, thinking back to that day and seeing it clear as a picture in his mind.

"...as the bandage wrapped around my hand I couldn't help but think about what could've happened had you not come along and saved me that day." He looked up to Tom who was speechless and clearly experiencing the same memory as Marco was. "I could've died Tom, I could've died and I'd have never have told Star that I wanted to be by her side for the rest of our lives...that I wanted her and only her...and we were about to go straight into another fight where we all could've died" he took a moment to breathe as the frantic memory shot through his head of those days of war and loss which had taken place only two short years ago. How far away it all seemed now. How distant the destruction, chaos and ruin of that war were, now here replaced with light, peace and celebration.

"So, I took out the ring I'd been saving and asked her to marry me there and then..to make sure that she'd know how much I wanted to be with her, no matter what happened" A smile touched his lips as he closed off the story, it wasn't the proposal he had wanted for him and Star, not by a long shot but it was perfect to him in every way. But then the thought once again struck him as to why Tom would be asking such a thing, and this time he couldn't shake it as easily, so he looked up to the Lucitor king and asked in a curious tone "So, why'd you want to know anyway?".

Tom shuffled awkwardly in his seat, unsure of exactly how to put this. "First off that was easily the most dedicated thing I've ever heard Marco, Star's very lucky that you two met" he said with a smile which was matched by Marco. Tom then looked down at his lap, returning to a state of shyness as he thought over his question. "It's just that...looking at everything today and how happy you and Star are and everything I realised..." Tom hesitated, his thoughts moving to the girl that he'd known for two years now, the girl he'd fallen for during one of the most chaotic and hectic times of both of their lives. "..I realised that I want the same for me and Tamia".

Marco smiled widely, excitement overtaking him as he placed each of his hands on Tom's shoulders, surprising the king and causing him to look up suddenly to see the expression of joy on his friend's face. "You're gonna propose to Tamia!?" Marco yelled prompting Tom to immediately cover his friend's mouth with an annoyed expression on his face. "Not so loud man jeez!" Tom hushed as he gently lifted his hand off Marco's mouth. Marco rolled his eyes and chuckled "Oh don't worry" he reassured the nervous looking king with a wide smile on his face "The girls are on the other side of the castle, there's no way they heard that".

This reassurance was helpful to Tom, but didn't do much to kerb his embarrassment "So.." he asked, scratching the back of his head as he thought over his question "How do you think I should do it?" he asked, seeking advice from the only source he truly had in this case. Marco smiled and shrugged at first, taking a seat once more at his dressing table and beginning to fiddle with his hair, trying to sort it's style and get it just right for the day.

"Honestly man, I dunno If I can answer that, it comes down to what you think would be best" Marco explained as he began looking through a strangely large selection of combs, picking out a clean, white one which he then began to run through his brown, freshly dried hair with great delicacy and care. "Just make sure she knows exactly how you feel, find a nice, romantic or meaningful setting and well...ask her" the knight answered with a smile towards the still contemplative and unsure looking Tom. After some thought and head-scratching, a smile grew across Tom's face and he looked up at his friend who was now scanning his face closely for spots or blemishes, aside from his trademark mole that is.

"Thanks Marco, sorry I kinda asked all this outta nowhere" he apologised as he walked over to assist the knight where he could. Marco just smiled "hey it's no problem man, now let's get ready, we got alot to do still" Marco replied as he looked over to the pristinely hung up uniform that he was to be married in with a grin. He couldn't wait to see how Star looked in her dress. Despite all his adventures and dimensional hopping with his beloved today was going to be the greatest of their lives.

On the other side of the castle, a knock came at the door of Star's dressing room. Star was slightly puzzled but since she couldn't move for the time being looked towards Tamia. "Can you get that? I would but.." Star then gestured to herself. She was perched on a small stool which was helping for Tamia to help the bride with her dress and more accurately add any finishing touches that needed doing before the ceremony. Tamia nodded with a smile "Don't move okay? I'm not quite done yet" she warned Star, who rolled her eyes with a sarcastic reply "Yes mum..." causing Tamia to giggle as she walked over to the door.

Tamia opened the door a creak and was met with the cheerful and excited eyes of Ponyhead, who yelled happily through the crack. "Yooo B-fly you there!?, I'm sorry I'm late gurl!". Star beamed at the sound of her first friend's voice and yelled back, trying to avoid moving too much on the little stool as she spoke excitedly. "Pony! You came!". Ponyhead rolled her eyes "Of course I came gurl, you didn't think I was gonna miss my Bff's wedding did you!?" she replied as she came through the door smiling at Tamia as she did so which threw Tamia off a tad considering Ponyhead had never ever smiled at her before.

Then Ponyhead stopped in her tracks, almost like she forgot something "oh one sec B-fly" she apologised before heading to the door and poking herself through the gap and yelling down the hall to someone neither Star or Tamia could see. "Go wait in the main hall okay? I'll be there after I finished attending to my gurl here okay?" she yelled to the unseen figure. Star and Tamia barely heard the reply from what sounded to be a very old and deep voiced man. "Of course, I'm sure I'll find the way, see you soon" before the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall as Ponyhead closed the door and turned to face a confused looking Star and Tamia.

Ponyhead looked Star up and down with a shocked expression on her face, her jaw hanging open at how amazing her best friend looked. "Oh..my...god gurl, you look In-cred-a-ble!" Ponyhead squealed as she floated over towards Star greeting her with a hug, or at least Star hugged Ponyhead as the two came together. "Oh thanks Pony, I'm just glad you're feeling so much better and could come" Star replied as the two separated, but she also had a small burning question to ask Pony as the three of them got back to working on preparing Star for her day.

"So...Who were you talking to Pony?" Star asked curiously, a small sly smile on her face as she suspected Ponyhead might've had a date. But Ponyhead had seen that look many a time and shook her head. "No B-fly I don't have a date, the guy down the hall was Beumont, it's his favour for helping me out with my problems" she answered in a very flat tone as she denied thoroughly any romantic feelings for this man old enough to be her grandfather. Star looked confused, "He helped you out in return for attending the wedding?" she asked with suspicion in her voice. Tamia also shot Ponyhead a strange look as she found the whole circumstance a little bit odd too.

Ponyhead frowned slightly, as if in thought of how to explain herself. "Well, like...not exactly?" she said in a confused tone "It sorta went like this..."

**Ponyhead Castle-Ponyhead Kingdom (2 days ago)**

Ponyhead had cleaned up her act in a big way in the couple of days that had passed since Beumont had relieved her of her grief and anger, replacing it with calmness, cheer and most importantly; the ability for Ponyhead to once more smile as she hadn't done in two years. It felt amazing to her. Her room had been cleaned of the trash and food which had previously littered it, the castle staff and the kingdom at large were starting to look more cheerful and well kept considering the newly found cheerfulness of their queen.

Ponyhead was currently in the process of trashing her room once again, but this time for a good reason as opposed to self-pity which had caused the chaotic and catastrophic state that it was in previously. Now she was simply turning the room upside down looking for something to wear for the wedding, everywhere you looked there were mountains of accessories, decorations for her horn, and more makeup than someone could ever hope to use in a lifetime.

Ponyhead was busy posing in the mirror, using her horn's magic to float various accessories in front of her, seeing how they looked in the mirror one after the other. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, Ponyhead let the items drop and floated over to the door, opening it and was immediately greeted with a servant who immediately bowed to the queen. "My apologies for the intrusion your majesty, but you have a visitor" the servant said with a extraordinarily posh and formal tone to his voice.

Ponyhead nodded "Who is it?" she asked curiously, a confused expression on her face as most everyone she knew was way too busy with other things to visit her out of the blue like this. "He said his name was Beumont Your Majesty, older looking gentleman in a cloak?" the servant answered with a confused tone, having not seen him before. Ponyhead however instantly broke into a smile, more than happy to once more see the man responsible for her feeling of elation that had filled her for these past few days. However part of her was also nervous at the old mystic's arrival. Surely this meant he intended to call in his favour? What price would he ask for such a noble and selfless deed that he had done for her sake? What would happen if he asked for too much and she refused?

These thoughts troubled Ponyhead in the back of her mind as she dismissed the servant, ordering him to send Beumont to her study, she certainly wasn't going to host him in the chaos that her room had become. Ponyhead floated over to her study, the thoughts of what the elderly mystic could possibly want plaguing her mind as she drew closer and closer to the door. She took a deep breath and sighed before opening the door to the small study.

The room was nothing much to speak about, a simplistic space with pink brick walls, a couple of bookshelves with assorted novels and study materials inside of them as well as a small, wooden desk with a leatherbound top which made books and writing materials more stable atop the surface. Sat at a chair just before the desk, staring up at the Ponyhead queen with his hood down and smiling though his long, black beard and tangled hair which coated his face, was Beumont.

"Ah, it's good to see you again Lilicia Ponyhead, How have things been since our last meeting?" he asked in a kind and gentle tone that almost sounded to Ponyhead like the way a grandfather would speak to his grandchildren upon his visit. Ponyhead smiled at the old man and responded with pure joy in her voice "Oh it's been incredible! Like, I'm back to my old self and everything has been great! I can't thank you enough!" she yelled with joy as she floated happily around the room, making the old mystic chuckle at her enthusiasm.

"I am glad to hear that child, it warms an old man's heart to know that one as young as yourself is now free from the grip of pain and misery" he said with complete sincerity as he drew his right hand over his chest where his heart was. Ponyhead smiled and nodded but then turned slightly serious as the nature of why exactly he was here suddenly crept back into her mind, with some timidness she decided it was better to ask the old man now rather than delay the elephant in the room.

"So, I take it you've come to call in that favour I owe you?" she asked with a small, nervous smile towards the old man, who tapped his nose in response. "Yes, unfortunately I must now ask for your assistance with something, however it is nothing major that will cause you great trouble or effort I assure you" he promised. Ponyhead nodded and beckoned for him to go ahead and ask for what he wanted.

"You see, it is very clear to anyone and everyone that I have lived far past my prime..I am unsure of how long I have left on this mortal coil" he began with a sad look as he was fully aware that his own time to leave Mewni was drawing nearer by the day. "Well...being a humble mystic as I am, I've never had the chance to attend a grand royal event and...well.." he hesitated for a moment, looking up towards Ponyhead with a small smile which she returned.

"I was hoping that I might be able to accompany you to the wedding of Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz, it would be the greatest honour to attend such a spectacle as that before I die" he asked with a pleading look which made him appear especially old. Almost appearing like an elderly begger who was trying to raise money for a simple meal, it had that same longing look in his eyes as he asked for this favour. Ponyhead was confused for a moment and, eyebrow raised asked "Is...is that really all you want? To come to a party?" she asked, very confused as to why the man would ask for so little when he had done so much. Beumont nodded, smiling up towards the Ponyhead Queen before adding "It would bring an old man, the greatest joy".

Ponyhead thought for a moment, I mean...the invitation did say she could bring others so long as Star and Marco knew about it. She saw no harm in brining Beumont along with her to a simple wedding, besides, it wasn't like he'd be doing much besides taking in the spectacle anyway. She nodded to herself and looked down, straight into the man's pale blue eyes "Okay, sure I'll bring you along with me" she answered with a confident smile as the two sat to begin discussing the details of the day.

**Inside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

"..And that's kinda what happened" explained Ponyhead with a wide smile as she finished her explanation to the two girls who shot one another a look as they didn't quite trust this whole story. Star however smiled and shrugged to herself "Well Pony, I'm just glad that you're back to your old self again and heck if this is all he wants for it...well then that's even better" she replied with a warm and loving smile towards her oldest friend who returned the same smile within an instant.

A few moments passed until Star jumped down cheerfully from the little wooden stool, floating herself gently to the ground as her dress settled around her figure. It was beyond perfect, the dress perfectly emphasising her curves and her body almost seemed to glow with pure radiance as the light hit the dazzlingly white gown just perfectly, making the bride appear more beautiful than she perhaps ever had before. Ponyhead and Tamia simply stared in awe of the bride as she took in her reflection from a nearby mirror, the happiest expression of pure joy on her face almost bringing her to tears.

Her silky and shimmering blonde hair cascaded down her back with small ripples like a pristine waterfall of purest gold which ended at the small of her back. Her veil was not yet on which showed off her remarkably beautiful face, the pink hearts on her cheeks glowing deep red with pride and happiness as she continued to take in just how perfect the entire setup was. This is when everyone was interrupted by a timid and shy knock on the door, Tamia once again answered and was met with the face of King River. "Ah, Hello Tamia! Good to see you, you look wonderful today" the king greeted her in his usual cheerful and light-hearted tone as he laughed a strong and confident chuckle to himself.

"Thank you King River, Tom helped me pick it out" Tamia replied, giving a twirl to show herself off, causing the king to clap merrily with the display "Absolutely wonderful, didn't know that boy had a sense of style eh!?" he joked nearly doubling over with a booming laugh at his own joke for a few moments before he stood up tall again, clearing his throat as he tried to get back to business. "Errm yes, I was wondering if Star was ready yet, it's not too long until the..." The king's sentence was stopped in it's tracks as the door opened fully, revealing Star standing there in the gloriously perfect beauty that her dress and preparation had given to her. The king could barely manage a word as he stood, open mouthed in amazement at the sight of his little girl.

Tears of unparalleled joy came to the king's eyes as his lip quivered, looking as though nothing would stop him from crying with happiness at the sight before him. "Hey dad, how do I look?" Star asked with a wide smile, shimmering of small joy-filled tears coming to her own eyes as she took in just how happy her dad looked. River wiped his eyes and tried to pull himself together. "You look amazing pumpkin, just as incredible as your mother did on our own wedding day" the king replied with a wide smile, matched by the one Star gave in response.

A few moments passed as father and daughter couldn't help but share this moment of joy together before they would have to get a move on. Realising that they might be late if River took too long with this, the king straightened himself up and cleared his throat. "Well, if you're ready Star" he extended his hand out towards his daughter "It's about time you and Marco were reunited, what do you say?" he smiled with an almost mixture of joy and sadness of the entire event.

After all this meant one undeniable fact; his little girl was all grown up now. All grown up and moving on into adulthood and building her own family. At that moment all of the memories of Star growing up and all the time he'd spent with her came flooding into his mind at once, sending and overwhelming wave of emotions to his mind all in one go. He'd done a good job it seemed, and..when his thoughts turned to Marco and everything that he'd been through with this lad they'd sent Star to live with on Earth. He couldn't help but think she'd made the best choice possible with that one.

Star nodded happily and linked her arm with her fathers as Ponyhead and Tamia trailed behind as the four left the room to head towards the ceremony. The king preparing to give his daughter away and walk her down the aisle.

**Main Hall-Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The main hall of Butterfly Castle had been beautifully decorated and painstakingly crafted into the idealistic setting for any marriage, especially the marriage of this magnitude. At the centre of the setting was the alter itself. It consisted firstly of a large lectern crafted from wood and painted white as snow with a golden symbol of a butterfly beautifully hand-chiselled into the centre behind which the High Priest of the Kingdom stood to conduct the ceremony. Hanging over the lectern were two picturesque and elegant cherry blossom trees which were placed at the perfect distance to form a beautiful, pink archway.

Leading up towards the alter was a grand red carpet which was surrounded on either side by rows of white chairs where the guests were already crowded together, waiting patiently and with hushed whispers and excitement for the start of the big event. In the front two rows were already sat some of the closest friends and family. Marco's parents, both of whom were tear filled with his dad taking nothing short of a million photo's of everything, as well as his little sister Mariposa who was by now a perfect, bubbling 4 year old, curiously looking around and bugging her parents with questions about everything.

Queen Moon was also on the front row next to an empty seat reserved for River, she herself was trying desperately to hide her urge to weep in joy, her upper lip trembling as she awaited her daughter to arrive. Tom was stood a few paces behind Marco, waiting alongside him for the Bride to show up as well as trying to calm Marco's own nerves slightly as he watched the knight twitch slightly at the alter.

There also was sat Eclipsa and Globgor, the monster king trying desperately to stop his wife from eating her hidden stash of snookers bars during the ceremony. "I eat when I'm nervous you know that" Eclipsa scolded her husband through a mouthful of candy, prompting the monster to sigh in defeat as he sat back into his chair with an apologetic look towards Marco who was already in his position at the alter, a light sweat on his brow as his own nerves began to take hold.

"Dude, stop being so nervous okay? This is Star remember? It's the day you two have waited, like, years for now!" Tom reassured the groom who nodded and took a deep breath before sighing heavily. "Okay...okay..I'm fine just, kinda weird waiting is all yknow?" Marco asked to be met with only a chuckle from the Lucitor King. "Marco it's cool, just...here.." Tom assured him as he passed a small white handkerchief to the knight who looked at it confused. "Please wipe the sweat of your forehead dude, you cannot greet your wife like that" The king told him with a serious look on his face. Marco nodded and wiped off his brow quickly before giving the handkerchief back to Tom.

Tom grimaced but took the handkerchief using two fingers and quickly burnt it in his palm, sticking out his tongue in a grossed out expression as he did so. "Dude, you didn't have to return it" he whisper-yelled to his friend. Marco chuckled and shrugged with a smirk "Sorry" he replied, not really knowing what else to say. Tom just shook his head and straightened himself out, once again trying to appear smart and distinguished, a position he wasn't very used too.

All of a sudden the murmured chatter ceased at once as a smartly uniformed band, brandishing highly polished and sublimely tuned instruments suddenly straightened up and looked ready to play. The Master of the Household, head of the servants and butlers of the Butterfly family stepped forward smartly and read aloud in a formal, extraordinarily posh and loud voice from a small scroll. "All Palace Guards to attention!" he first ordered and at once every soldier positioned around the perimeter of the room came to attention smartly.

"Friends, Family and Distinguished Guests, Please rise now for the Bride, Princess Star the Underestimated" At that point every single guest rose to their feet and Marco turned around to look down the aisle towards the entrance of the Main Hall. The band in the far corner immediately began playing a smooth and perfect rendition of 'here comes the bride' as Star and King River turned the corner to come into full view of the audience.

Marco and the crowd of guests gasped in unison at the sight before them. Star was making her way slowly down the aisle towards her soon-to-be husband in the most stunning and pristine white dress any of them had ever seen. To all of them she looked a vision of perfection and undeniable beauty. Immediately Queen Moon's emotional barrier failed her and the tears of joy she'd been holding back began to flow gently down her cheeks as she looked at just how beautiful her daughter was. Marco, once he had gotten over the initial shock of seeing his soon-to-be wife again, glanced over to Tom and whispered in a nervous tone "Dude...I'm gonna need another handkerchief" as beads of sweat once again formed on his forehead. Tom chuckled and slyly passed him one, this action not being unnoticed by Star who giggled lightly as she watched the pair.

Star herself couldn't help but be enamoured with Marco's appearance as well. As many times as she'd seen him in uniform and fully dressed for fancy dinners and dances and parties, this must have been the best he'd ever looked. 'Well, the Neverzone is a close second' Star thought to herself as Marco's adult form came to her mind for a split second, causing the hearts on her cheeks to glow a light red before she managed to come back to the present and find herself stood face to face with Marco, River kissing Star's hand lightly before giving her away and returning to sit by Moon's side, tears of pride adorning the man's own face as he did so. Ponyhead also floated over to take her spot next to Beumont in the second row of chairs, floating lightly above the space that had been saved for her. Tamia herself stood on the opposite side to Tom, staring eye to eye with the Lucitor king with a small, slightly flirtatious, smirk adorning her face.

The music came to an end as the High priest stepped up to the lectern, an older, white haired gentleman dressed in a simple black robe with an elegant purple stole with golden trim bordering it's edges which hung from the back his neck loosely and flowed down on both sides to just above his waist, each side displaying a golden embroidery of the Butterfly Family crest. He gently gestured for Marco to lift Star's veil and the knight did so immediately, not needing to be asked twice. He lifted the thin fabric gently and allowed it to drape itself gently down her back, revealing her face as the Princess opened her dazzlingly blue, ocean-like eyes.

If her appearance hadn't stunned Marco before it certainly did now. There was little more than he could do but stand smiling like a goof as he took in his fiancé's beauty. She had not applied much makeup at all, not having any real need to, but her face seemed to glow as a whole and not just because her cheeks had lit up with a gentle red glimmer. "H..hey" Marco stammered out, for the first time in years feeling nervous and unsure when talking to Star. His shy demeanour and blushing face causing Star to giggle lightly to herself before looking up into his eyes "Hi" she jokingly said back, somehow managing in that single word to put Marco at ease as he relaxed somewhat visibly.

The High Priest nodded and began to read from the large, handwritten book placed on the lectern before him. "Please be seated" he asked in a smooth and almost fatherly tone as the crowd once again sat themselves down amid some sniffles from the parents in the crowd as well as Eclipsa who was now alternating between snookers and sobs as she watched. The High Priest then continued to read once everyone had settled.

"Friends, Family, Loved ones from across all dimensions we today are gathered to celebrate a most historic and most wonderful occasion, at the bonding of these two souls in holy matrimony" he began as the elderly man's words were met with smiles and small nods from the crowd. Star and Marco simply stood, their fingers intertwined with one another and staring into each others eyes, as if noone else was even there. "It is the greatest honour to be conducting this ceremony, in celebration of the bond of love, loyalty and trust that the two standing before us share together and I myself wish them every happiness that can be afforded in a long and prosperous life that they will endeavour to build" came the continued kind and humble tones of the priest who turned the page gently and continued to press on with the ceremony.

"I must now turn to the crowd and ask that if any amongst you, know of any reason of why these two should not be wed, please speak now or forever hold your peace" the elderly man asked in a serious voice, his smile fading from his lips for a moment as the question fell upon a silent crowd. The room remained deafeningly silent for a few awkward and drawn out moments before the pleasant smile once again returned to the priest's lips and his expression brightened once more. "Very well, then I invite the ring-bearer to step forward now".

The Master of the Household once again stood forwards and presented two gold bands on a small red, silk cushion. He bowed his head lightly as he held up the cushion to within arms reach of the bride and groom. The Priest then continued with the ceremony, directing his left hand towards Marco as he spoke "Now then, The Bride and Groom have written their own vows, so at this time I would like to invite you first Marco, please take the ring, place it onto Star's finger and make your vows".

Marco delicately plucked the ring from the silky material of the pillow and gently slid it onto Star's outstretched finger finding that it was a perfect fit. Star's smile widened as the ring stuck on her finger, giving Marco's other hand a small squeeze as they both beamed with happiness. Marco cleared his throat and gently, just barely loud enough for the rest of the hall to hear, began to speak.

"Star, ever since you showed up to Earth and first came into my life you've been everything to me. I was noone special, just the 'Safe kid' who was unremarkable aside from his ability to make nachos" This comment drew a small giggle from Star and some of those in the audience as Marco's speech continued. "But you showed me the adventure of a lifetime and took me to places that most people would never see if they lived a thousand years, We've stood side by side through the best days of my life and the worst horrors imaginable and we've held together through all of it". Small teardrops began to form in Star's eyes as Marco spoke these words, she couldn't help but think about just everything they had seen and done together and how much they had fought through. She wouldn't have changed a second of it.

"I want to have a million more adventures with you for the rest of my days, I couldn't have asked for a better soul mate, best friend and wife, I love you Star" Marco concluded, with a wide smile on his face as he took in Star's reaction. She was struggling hard to hold back tears of joy, however she just about managed to pull herself together as the priest began to speak again. "That was beautiful Marco" he complimented the Knight before gesturing with his right hand towards Star. "I invite you now Star, please place the ring onto Marco's finger and state your vows" he asked kindly as Star plucked the remaining ring from the pillow, allowing the Master of the House to step back from the alter with a low bow.

Star slid the ring onto Marco's finger just as he had done previously and smiled up towards him as she began to speak. "Marco, when mum and dad first sent me to Earth, I thought it was gonna be the worst thing that would ever happen to me" she began before squeezing the knight's hands tightly "It turned out to be the best thing they've ever done for me, if it hadn't been for that and for meeting you, I don't even know what I'd have done, you have done more for me than anyone I've ever known and have taught me more about myself and the world than I could even express". Marco's own eyes began to swell with tears at this point, the memories and images that his speech had conjured in Star's mind now flooded his with equal intensity, they had shared more in a few short years than most people experience in a lifetime and there was nothing he'd dream of trading it for.

"Marco Diaz, you've been my teacher, my best friend, my squire, my knight, my confidant, my soul mate and now, you have one final job; To be my husband" she concluded with tears making their way down both of the couple's cheeks as their fingers stayed tightly intertwined and they became lost in each other's eyes, both of them waiting for the final words from the Priest that they knew would follow. The Priest smiled and looked towards Star with kind eyes "That was wonderful your highness". The elderly gentleman then directed his gaze towards the crowd, all of whom were sharing in the couple's joy filled tears and wide smiles as they awaited the final words of the ceremony.

"By the Power vested in me by the Butterfly Kingdom and under the blessings of the Butterfly dynasty, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife together" The priest then turned towards Marco with a kind smile and gestured towards Star with his right hand "You may kiss the bride". Marco did not need to be told twice, he leaned forward and closed his eyes gently as Star followed suit, their lips meeting in a passionate and love-filled kiss which was surrounded by cheering and cries of congratulations that were full of purest joy as the crowd watched the Royal couple exchange their first kiss as Husband and Wife.

**A/N: The Marriage ceremony concludes and now the celebration can begin, but what does Beumont have planned? Until next time guys :)**

**2nd A/N: Whew this took a while, Was gonna do the wedding and Beumont's plans in a single chapter but I wanted to do Marco and Star's wedding Justice, how'd I do you reckon? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7-Crown and Plot**

**Outside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The crowds that had gathered in the streets of the kingdom below now numbered in the thousands. Men, women, children, monsters and inhabitants of the underworld had all come together to celebrate this spectacular occasion. As the hours grew into the late afternoon and the sunlight began to paint the skyline as a spectacular orange, fiery scene the crowds had begun to eat at huge tables and smaller campfires that had dotted around the city as street vendors served all manner of foods to the hungry and gathered masses.

Some stalls were stands built around roaring log-fuelled fires which crackled below large metal grills piled high with various meats and vegetables which were served piping hot to the waiting Mewmans. Other stalls had colossal pots of stew, chilli and soups which bubbled gently as sweet aromas of simple, filling food floated gently into the streets. Much like any other good party, the alcohol soon began to flow as stalls began to open up and serve a large selection of privately brewed and hearty meads, ales and beers as well as fine wines and spirits which were plentiful throughout Mewni. Some stalls also provided soft drinks for younger patrons of the celebration as the kingdom ate and drank together like they hadn't done in all together too long.

At the far end of the kingdom stood the Royal Barracks. Standing tall and proud as a self-contained fortress of a structure. It's thick walls shielding the internal maze of rooms and corridors, which housed, fed and clothed much of the soldiers of the kingdom, from all weathers and all threats. Guards in gleaming, highly polished steel armour wielding tall pikes and great broadswords which hung at their hips in leatherbound scabbards, stood tall and as an intimidating presence at each entrance to the mighty building. Just inside of it's walls, scores of troops were making their final preparations to begin the grand parade to celebrate the marriage and show themselves off to the Royal family and Mewni at large.

The social, celebratory and almost family-like atmosphere was all of a sudden shattered as a band of trumpeters sounded off from the grand balcony of Butterfly Castle, sending a near-deafening but still nonetheless zeal filled and rousing tune throughout the packed and bustling streets of the kingdom. Immediately activities across the kingdom quietened down or ceased entirely as every Mewnian, Monster and Underworld creature immediately turned on a dime to give their full attention to the castle and the balcony on which the four trumpeters now played.

Not a second after they had finished a man, known simply as the Royal Announcer, stepped forwards onto the forefront of the balcony to overlook the crowd from it's grand and commanding heights above the central square of the kingdom. He was incredibly formally dressed, donning a grand, jet-black tricorn hat with a golden hem lining it's top and a grand white feather flowing outwards from the peak of the cap itself. He was clothed in a base layer which consisted of black trousers with a gold trim running down the seam towards a pair of shin-high black leather boots. Over his upper half he donned a simple black tunic and with string buttons which were buttoned up fully leading towards a large and brightest white ruffle which came down from his neck in a lose and cascading wave of material.

Covering the entire outfit was a large frock coat which was a brilliant red with golden trim running along each outline of the article. The coat was well decorated with golden buttons which were polished to gleaming perfection and a small shoulder cape which had sewn onto it a badge containing the golden threaded likeness of the Butterfly Family crest just onto the left breast. The man himself was weathered by age however still visibly had lost none of his strength to his years as of yet, his white beared and wrinkled, tired-looking face gave away his age in a mere glance however as he drew a breath and began to address the crowd in an enthusiastic, booming voice which rang with pride down towards the tightly packed streets.

"Citizens of Mewni! It is my firm belief, that you all have been kept waiting long enough would you not agree!?" The roaring cheers and cries of agreement from the vast crowd below echoed through the twilight sky of Mewni as the fiery and passion fuelled speech of the announcer had begun. More cheers erupted in turn as from behind him, the faces of Tom and Tamia, of the Magic High Commission, Marco's parents and little sister Mariposa (who by now was keeping herself tucked shyly into her mother's skirt at the sight of the sheer magnitude of people whose eyes were now seemingly fixated onto her), Queen Moon and King River, Ponyhead and Beumont emerged and took up their positions on the balcony. All of them visible and present, beaming smiles on their faces and waving towards the crowd, none of them the centre of attention but all of them receiving a celebratory cheer from the crowd, especially the King and Queen themselves who it seemed all of Mewni raised their voices higher in reverence for as the couple took their positions.

As the crowds cheers began to die down and everyone had taken their proper positions the announcer once again pressed on with his speech to the masses below the great castle. "In that case my Brothers and Sisters of Mewman, monster and demonkind. It is my greatest and most humble honour to present you with your newly married royal couple; Your revered, beautiful and beloved, Princess Star Butterfly, And Your respected, strong and honoured protector of the Kingdom, Prince Marco Butterfly!" A grand cheer immediately erupted from the crowd unlike any of the others. This cheer was filled with the fanaticism and love for the couple that shocked even those on the balcony who looked down at the crowds who had now gone into a near uncontrollable frenzy of celebration and alcohol fuelled party atmosphere.

From the range of cries and unintelligible wailing and cheering of the populace there was a single word which broke through the haze and calamitous noise that rose to a peak louder than even the fiercest storm. A single phrase which once heard began to circulate through the crowd, gradually at first, but then with rapid speed until it seemed as if everyone, every man, women, child, monster, heck even some of the animals in the fields may have been bleating the word for all those on the balcony could tell. The word was chanted again and again in a furious and irrefutable command that the crowd now made upon the beloved symbols and rulers of the kingdom in which they inhabited. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" came the exulted and almost manic voices of the crowd as it seemed that every eye in Mewni was now locked onto a single point of focus where the couple happened to be standing.

Star and Marco smiled warmly, each of them blushing heavily as the crowds chant turned into a roar which a person could probably hear from the hills that bordered Mewni and further beyond. Marco turned towards Star placing a gentle hand under her chin and having to raise his voice slightly so she could hear him over the crowd. "What do you think?" he asked with a flirtatious smile which she eagerly returned as she looked up towards him dreamily "Should we give them what they want?" he finished as he drew his arm around Star's waist, pulling her closer to himself as her own hands reached up towards his shoulders, wrapping around his neck.

"I suppose they are very persuasive" Star replied with a sly smile as she closed the distance between their lips and for a few seconds they shared an intimate and loving kiss as the kingdom below them cheered and roared with jubilation as their demand was met to their complete satisfaction. As the pair parted they spent a moment gazing into each others eyes, for a small time lost in their own world with Mewni and the world around melted away leaving only them, for a sweet moment in total bliss before the roar of the crowd and cheerful, ecstatic and thunderously loud noises of the celebration brining them back to reality.

On the balcony itself Queen Moon through a smile of pride as a small, happy tear made its way down her cheek which she quickly wiped away with a small, pale white silk cloth. As she placed the cloth back into a small pocket in her dress she gave a silent nod over to the waiting announcer, who had stood over to the sidelines lest he be caught accidentally in the spotlight, he nodded in return as if he'd been waiting for the signal for some time now and signalled to the four trumpeters to begin their short, loud melody once more to signal a further announcement.

The trumpeters each lifted their instruments and, with a silent count to three, began to play them in a short but alerting melody which caught the attention of the entire crowd. The crowds eyes were immediately directed towards the royal announcer once more as the man unfurled his scroll once more and began to read. "My apologies ladies and gentlemen, for this interruption to our joint and zealous revelry in the fond event that is taking place before us. It is however my honour to announce that Her Sovereign Majesty, our revered and adored Queen Moon the Undaunted, has an urgent address for the entire kingdom which her Majesty will deliver personally" The royal announcer turns on his heel slightly so that he could look upon Moon's face as she gazed, somewhat tiredly, towards the booming voiced man.

"Your Majesty, your people await" he gestured, bowing gently at the waist as he stepped out of her way. The Queen moved slowly, her strength not being what it used to be and the weight of her staff holding up her own as she made her way towards the central platform of the balcony. Cheers, along with some assorted murmurs of concern and wonder began to shoot through the crowd below as the Queen came into full view of her kingdom and it into her view. She simply stood for a moment, once more laying her eyes over the population of the kingdom and it's allies that had gathered for such a grand event. She could scarcely believe that this day might not have been possible had Helvete had succeeded two years ago.

She shook the horrid thought from her mind, this was not the occasion for those kinds of despicable thoughts and memories. This was an occasion to take pride in all they had, all she still had and all she had gained in her family. A day to be peaceful in the knowledge that the kingdom was secured and her line would remain unbroken and prospering well after she had passed into the realm of the fallen like all the queens that had come before her. She leaned as steadily as she could against her staff, allowing it to support her weight as she looked down on the kingdom, cleared her throat and began to speak in as loud a tone as she could muster.

"My loyal, beloved and wonderful subjects. Today is a day in which I take an extraordinary amount of pride and an immeasurable amount of joy the kind of which one feels only a few times across a lifetime, I feel these things not only as your queen, but also personally as a mother as I witness with my own eyes that my daughter your beloved princess Star has been finally joined in matrimony to a man who is more worthy, more deserving and is an greater mould of an ideal husband than I could've even dreamed up for her" The speech began with a motherly and warm tone emulating from Moon's lips as every word was carefully thought out and crafted as the people listened in what seemed to be near silence compared to the manic and patriotic celebrations that had drowned out all other sounds just a few moments ago.

"Coming up to five years ago, shortly after Star was granted the Royal Magic wand as is her birthright. Myself and River saw fit to send her over to a small and less magically focused dimension known as Earth, this was for the purposes of instilling into her; humility, discipline, respect, maturity and above all else was to prepare her for the challenges and pressures which come with taking the throne of Mewni." As Moon paused to take a breath, Star and Marco shared a cheerful and knowing look of nostalgia. Memories of their first meeting, their astonishing misadventures throughout the multiverse and their eventual blossoming into the relationship which lead to this very moment.

Their mutual feeling of nostalgia was broken however when they once more heard Moon's voice, continuing her speech every word of which entranced the citizenry below. "Since then she has grown up more than I can possibly have imagined in my wildest dreams, there are even days where I miss seeing her running around the castle causing all manner of mayhem such as she used too. But I could not possibly be prouder of the women that she has grown up to be and I know that she will continue to be as the years pass further." Moon's expression of cheeriness and pride then curiously faltered as she paused. Her face had fallen and now presented a troubled personality to those who could see her clearly, it was as if she was struggling to express an emotion but knew all to well that it was a bad one.

After a few moments of silence during which many of the people on the balcony thought about whether to intervene. Becoming curious with what could possibly be causing her to silence herself in the middle of a speech like this Beumont, silently and without alerting anyone who stood nearby, covered his mouth with the palm of his hand and whispered low and covertly into it. "Show me the pain that is kept hidden, allow me to witness memories forbidden". As the mystic finished these words his eyes faintly lit up with a subtle, pale blue colour and he began to stare towards Queen Moon intently as the effects of the spell took hold without notice from those around him.

He could see clearly into Moon's mind, the current memory she was reliving with that troubled and silent expression was played out before the mystic inside of his own consciousness. He could see, hear, smell and even taste every part of the horrific memory that was playing out inside of Moon's mind that only himself and her were able to bear witness to. The first thing that struck the old man was the noise, the screams of joy from the wedding crowd had now in the mind been replaced by screams of terror and anguish as Moon's memory took shape before him. The terrified screams of petrified Mewmans, the frantic yells and commands of troops as fighting raged on both sides of the great lines of battle which stretched towards the horizon, Artillery shells whistled overhead before crashing with a thunderous boom as they hit their mark sending shockwaves through the ground below as they launched chunks of Mewnian soil, buildings, walls and the bodies of those caught in the blast radius high into the air.

Beumont looked up towards the heavens, blackened and obscured by the smoke and dust of conflict and warfare as the furious melee continued all around him, the long lines of soldiers driving headlong with swords, spears, axes, clubs and the multi-coloured flashes of powerful spells from those who could perform them. He looked on towards the mechanical whirr of engines overhead as mighty airships, men in the sinister and jet-black uniforms of the Helios Empire on their suspended platforms launching deadly arcs of red and orange flames down upon the unfortunate souls below, flew over the top of the battlefield.

In the distance he heard another boom as a shell hurtled across the skies and smashed headlong into the lead Helios airship. With a tremendous explosion which sent shockwaves that hit the old man's chest like the blow of a champion fighter, sending him back and winding him with the sudden shock, the gases within the airship's balloon ignited at once and the colossal device of war came tumbling to the ground. It hit the deck with a tremendous noise like a hammer against an anvil, ripping the ground apart at the impact sight and sending the troops on board as well as those unfortunate enough to be caught under it to their demise. Beumont looked away, it seems he was unable to bear witness to such a catastrophic loss of life such as that.

Then he saw him. He had looked directly into his eyes but the figure did was not, and since this was simply a memory could not, concerning himself with Beumont. Instead he was looming over a battered, bruised and beaten Queen Moon who was currently in her Butterfly transformation. She coughed and spluttered as she attempted to pull herself up from the ground with struggling and shaking limbs as the figure still stood looming above her. Beumont noticed at this point how heavy and hot the air felt. It felt as if the atmosphere was thick as treacle and weighed on him like a boot to his spine, all of this seemed to intensify as Beumont looked up to stare into the face of the figure who now loomed over Queen Moon with a mocking and sinister expression across his face.

"My lord Helvete" he muttered to himself in pure shock as he watched the emperor chuckle in sadistic glee as Moon attempted continuously to pull herself up despite her obviously painful and debilitating injuries. Suddenly Beumont was staring up at the face of his emperor as his merciless and demon-like crimson eyes which glowed brightly as the fires of the deepest hell itself stared down at his perspective with evil intent. Beumont realised with a measure of horror that his perspective had shifted with Moon's herself, he was now in her place, feeling and seeing what she had seen in whichever memory this was.

He felt a tremendous pain in his ribs and across his body as fatigue, pain and above all fear seemed to flow over him as Moon's emotional memory drowned him in the Queen's exact recollection of the terrible event that was about to unfold. He looked on as Helvete's form stood towering over the Queen, the crimson glowing eyes of the emperor projecting a sinister and threatening stare down towards her much like a predator would look down upon weakened prey. Helvete then placed his hand to his chin as if pondering something as he spoke down in a dark, smooth voice.

"Eugh, I always hated bugs you know" the emperor spoke with disgust as he looked down upon Moon's weakened Butterfly form, her beautiful blue wings limping on the ground over her body like a shroud of azure silk. "As a boy I used to do something as a game, now what was it?" he asked as more of a question towards himself as he tilted his head in thought. Beumont could feel the sensation of Moon's blood turning to ice as crippling fear overtook every aspect of the Queen's mind, unable to do anything but simply look on as the tyrant emperor continued to ponder his next move with a grin much like a snake getting ready to bite as if he already knew the answer to the question he'd just stated.

Then, with an obviously fake 'Lightbulb moment', Helvete chuckled lightly to himself as he placed each of his hands onto Moon's wings pulling them taught as a cruel glint flashed in the emperor's eyes. "Oh yes that was it, I used to do this!" he yelled as he put his boot to Moon's back and using it to force Moon's body away as he pulled further on her wings, tearing them clean from her back with a sickening rip. Moon's scream from the pain was blood-curdling and Beumont was forced from her mind as a sensation of pain unlike anything he had ever experienced hit him like a thousand knives into his back.

Beumont was suddenly back on the Butterfly Kingdom balcony, looking out over the vast and celebratory crowd as the world around him once more unfolded. The change in scenery was stark to say the least, the sky was clear and twilight was slowly drifting towards nightfall as the sun fell from the sky creating a terrific orange glow across the horizon as if an unending inferno had been lit across the sky. But unlike the fire's of the memory he had just been shot out of there was no choking smoke to blot out the skyline, no horrific screams of pain and anguish or whizzing and crashing shellfire shattering the landscape. They were gone. Replaced by the jubilation and merriment of a crowd that formed the people of a kingdom who had overcome tyranny and warfare, now to celebrate in harmony and common comradeship the wedding of a couple who had fought tooth and nail to ensure this grand event could happen.

Beumont had felt it and was struggling to hide it behind his calm and collected demeanour. All of the pain, all of the fear, all of the anguish and sense of loss that Moon had experienced on that horrific day. Ponyhead glanced to her side and noticed the looked of uncomfortableness on Beumont's elderly features, she lightly prodded his arm with her horn, causing the old mystic to jump slightly as he turned to face her. "You okay? Like you're looking kinda pale?" she asked with concern in her voice. Beumont stood perplexed for a moment, still attempting to process the difference between Moon's memories and the world that lay before his own eyes, but before too long he managed a smile and a gentle chuckle as he attempted to play it off as nothing.

"Yes, yes child I'm fine" he reassured her as best he could under the circumstances "I'm just at that age where you kind've phase out sometimes, the mind seems to go first" he jokes with a small chuckle which seemed to work as Ponyhead nodded and went back to listening to Queen Moon, who had once again begun to speak.

"As you are all no doubt all too aware, two years ago, this kingdom as well as many others was suddenly and maliciously attacked by the Helios Empire and their tyrannical leader, Helvete." She began as her tone turned solemn and betrayed a feeling of incredible pain and sense of loss at the memory as the kingdom around her quietened down in recognition of the mutual sense of pain that the past stirred within all of them. "Each of us in Mewni, whether you come from the Butterfly kingdom, the Ponyhead kingdom, the Monster kingdom or the Lucitor Union, every one of us suffered at the hands of that tyrant and his cruel armies as they swept over this land leaving only death and destruction in their wake. You may wonder why I would bring up such an unsavoury topic during an event such as this, well there are a couple of reasons".

The kingdom stood in near silence, It was all too clear that Moon's speech held so much more weight behind it than a simple congratulations to the Princess and her newly minted prince this much was clear to even the most simple-minded among them. The flag waving, chattering, cheering and drinking had all for a moment ceased and all that remained was Moon's words floating gently down to the streets from her position overlooking them. "The first is simple; I as your Queen cannot even begin to thank each and every one of you that helped see Mewni through it's darkest and most desperate time that it has seen in all these long centuries of which we boast, there is no payment that will ever be a worthy exchange for what those that fought and especially those that gave their lives during the conflict sacrificed for the sake of Mewni. As your Queen I extend my most sincere gratitude to every Mewman, every Monster and every Underworld inhabitant that guided Mewni back to the light from the bleakest darkness as we vanquished the wretched Helvete and his cruel armies from our lands forevermore!" came the passionate and grateful words of the Queen as the crowd below cheered once more with enthralled passion and patriotic fury as the Queen's fiery speech poured down to them and their praise for the great victory of their people was incredibly received.

Moon smiled to herself and quietly awaited the crowd to quiet down so that she might continue with the rest of her announcement. Meanwhile those who accompanied her on the balcony began to cheer as well, especially Star and Marco and Tom and Tamia, each of the couples holding each-other lovingly as the memories flooded in and the adrenaline from Moon's speech flowed through them all as it had the crowd. The only one who did not share in their revelry was Beumont, who on the outside gave a small, humble smile while inside he raged at their passion and their celebratory nature at this speech. 'I wouldn't be so sure of yourself...your Majesty' He watched Moon gesture for the crowd to settle through narrowed eyes.

As the crowd did so Moon smiled, however her eyes betrayed a feeling of sadness as she continued. "During that time, the Butterfly Kingdom, like many others fell to Helvete and during the battle that evil and despicable tyrant tore off my wings so that I might never achieve my Butterfly form again" At this the crowd was immediately humbled by a feeling of sorrow for their Queen, which shot through the streets until Moon once more began speaking. "After that event, many in the castle and I am certain many of you have noticed that I have grown weaker as a result, leaving me unable to effectively govern the Kingdom as a Queen should."

There was a short pause as Moon looked back onto the balcony, at first towards River. The golden bearded king giving her a warm nod and a loving smile, knowing exactly what she was going to say well in advance and in his heart knowing that she was right. Moon then looked towards Star and Marco who smiled back warmly, still holding onto each other which Moon couldn't help but giggle at. 'They're going to be great' she thought to herself reassuringly as she then faced the crowd once more. "It is therefore; with a heart full of gratitude to every single one of you and with a head full of confidence in my decision which I have spent many hours across the last few months seriously considering, that I formally abdicate from the throne of Mewni and pass on the Kingdom and the Crown to my daughter. Ladies, Gentlemen, Monsters, Demons, Mewnians of all kinds; I am honoured and proud beyond words to present you for the first time with your newly crowned Queen; Queen Star Butterfly the underestimated and King Marco Diaz!" Moon announced proudly with a gesture for Star and Marco to step up so that the crowd could best view them as she herself stepped down from the platform.

The crowd's cheers went into a frenzy as they all swarmed every corner of the streets as the celebration went into full swing once more. The ale flowed everywhere as the bartenders worked doubletime in order to keep everyone's tankards filled as best they could manage. Street performers struck up their instruments, magic shows and other weird and wacky acts to entertain the crowds below as soldiers began to parade their way through the streets to the sound of a glorious and fully kitted marching band as thousands of Mewnian Boots marched and presented themselves at their best to the new King and Queen.

The roar of engines hovered overhead as the mighty and beautiful airships soared across the sky majestically pink, yellow, red and blue smoke trails following in their wake as the colours of Mewni were flying high over the city in a spectacle unlike Mewni had ever seen. Another chant shot through the crowd with a frantic and adoring cry as they looked towards their newly crowned and newly married royal couple. "Long live the Queen! Long live the King!" chanted over and over as the crowd's restless fervour built endlessly with the overwhelmingly good news that they had all been waiting for. This day had truly been perfect for each and every Mewman far and wide across these vast lands of magic and adventure, one they would not soon forget as the celebrations were set to carry on long into the night.

Those on the balcony retreated slowly into the castle itself for the afterparty for both the coronation and wedding which would be held in the great hall, surrounded by the closest guests as the rest of Mewni partied harder just outside of the walls. But there was one who did not join in the festivities, A certain young and anger filled Tyrius who sat waiting patiently in a nearby alley. His eyes watching the castle intently and with laser focus as his mission for tonight was soon to be carried out, Soon he would be one step closer to his ultimate goal. After this, he would soon have the head of the enemy he had sworn to take his swords to. 'You enjoy tonight Marco Diaz' thought the dark haired boy as he continued to sharpen the edge of one of his hooked blades 'It'll be one of the last you ever see if I've got anything to say about it'.

Tyrius continued to watch the balcony intently, observing Beumont until his eyes met with those of the elderly mystic. Though the distance between them was considerable, neither of them had any doubt that each could clearly see the other and their glances met each other for only a couple of seconds. Beumont gave a low nod before disappearing behind the grand doors of the balcony and once more. This small, almost meaningless, motion was more than Tyrius needed however and he began to make his move. Carefully and with a steady speed he made his way stealthily and while making every effort to avoid being noticed even within the packed streets of the kingdom towards the rear walls of Butterfly Castle.

**Inside Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The grand, spacious ballroom of the castle had been painstakingly decorated along with the rest of it by the castle staff, servants and designers that had been brought in from across Mewni for the incredible occasion. A fully stocked and staffed bar space ran along the left wall. A hand-carved bar fashioned from Oakwood which had been reinforced by silver plates along it's front which had been embossed with the images of each of the Mewnian queen's cheekmarks. The front of the bar was made complete with barstools topped by red leather seats affixed to the ground by strong steel posts.

Behind the bar were dozens upon dozens of great wooden tapped barrels housed within row upon row of wooden racks holding them steady. Each barrel contained a different kind of beverage forming a collection which contained almost every possible drink you could possibly imagine across the multiverse. Around the bar were arrayed a selection of round tables covered with crisp, white tablecloths which were arranged for a dinner service. Along the rear wall was displayed for all to see; a grand table filled to bursting with every food imaginable including (specially requested by Star) the most enormous bowl of nachos any of them had ever seen. Marco had insisted on making them himself, not contented to trust anyone in this or any other world with his nacho recipe.

Star immediately tried to make a break for it but Marco knew all to well that she would try that move and grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her in her tracks and causing her to look up to him with a puppy dog expression on her face. "But Marcooooooo" She whined like a child who'd been refused sweets. Marco sighed, a small smile betraying his amusement at Star's attitude at being held back. "Star, I promise noone is gonna get to them before you do but we do have something to do before you can go crazy" he reassured her while gesturing towards the high priest. The man who had married the couple now stood between two further men holding each of the crowns of Mewni.

These were brand new crowns, crafted especially for the new queen as was Mewnian tradition. Star's crown was a small, light looking golden crown that looked not too much unlike her mother's. The main difference between her own crown and the one Moon had worn was the large pink diamond shimmering at the centre of the glittering headwear which had been fashioned into the shape of a perfect heart to match her cheekmarks. Marco's crown was similar to Star's however it was instead fashioned from silver in a material demonstration that the Queen's authority was always considered higher in Mewni.

Star sighed "Okay" she moped for a second "But after that...nachos" she demanded making Marco chuckle to himself and give her a small peck on the forehead. "Of course Star" he smiled as the pair made their way over to the grand priest, the other guests forming a semi-circle around them as they looked on quietly awaiting the ceremony. Adorning another pillow on a small plinth was laid out the Mewnian Sceptre of Rule. Used only for official ceremonies it was rarely seen and as such caused a small sensation of awe by it's presence.

The sceptre was modelled using the image of the Royal wand as it existed during the rule of Urania, the first one. As a result it was a twisted staff of beautifully dark walnut wood into which a grip was carved just under the halfway point of the 36 inch staff. At its top was fixed a large and heavy, bright orange Imperial Topaz gemstone which had been carefully and painstakingly cut and polished into the shape of a Butterfly at the bottom of which was tied a small, pink silk bow. The gemstone gave off a bright orange glow as the light shone off it's every facet and illuminated the little silk pillow it rested on.

The high priest gestured towards it with his right hand "Your Majesty, If you would please take possession of the Sceptre of Rule in your right hand" he asked in an elderly, kind voice with a small smile on his lips as Star obeyed and held aloft the Sceptre by the beautifully carved grip tightly in her right hand. The priest then turned towards River and asked "Your Majesty, if you would hand over your own staff to Marco". River nodded and handed Marco his staff which the king always carried to every formal occasion.

It was a long and thin white staff that was just a little taller than River himself at the top of which was seated a large and deep blue cut of Sapphire which was crafted into the shape of a crescent moon enclosing a small star. It gave off a hue of magical energy as Marco took possession of it. River leant closer to Marco's ear and whispered in a fatherly sort've tone "I know you'll do me proud my boy". River then gave a small smile before rejoining Moon in their positions to watch the ceremony take place.

Marco and Star both faced the high priest who gave each of them a small smile before turning to Star first. "Star Butterfly, Is your majesty willing to accept the Queen's royal oath?" he asked, suddenly turning very formal as he read aloud from the small, leatherbound black book he was cradling in his right hand. Star, half eyeing the Nachos as she did so, nodded "I am willing" she replied in a strangely collected and regal tone which slightly surprised Marco as he almost never heard Star speak like that.

The priest nodded and began to read "Do you, Star Butterfly the underestimated, Solemnly promise to uphold the laws and traditions of Mewni and her allies ensuring that the will of justice is executed with fairness and decisiveness, to seek justice and protection for it's people from all who seek to bring us harm, to seek freedom of the kingdoms which make up her lands and to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, love and trust within the dimensions which she governs to the upmost of your abilities and until your last breath is drawn?" The priest asked with confidence and volume so that all in the hall could clearly hear and understand the monumental promise that Star was making to the people.

Star stood contemplating for a moment before nodding to herself and replying back to the awaiting priest and the crowd so that all could hear her words clearly. "I solemnly promise to do so and I will maintain this promise until my final breath". The crowd smiled collectively as did the priest "That was wonderful your Majesty" he complimented before he turned to Marco.

"Marco Diaz-Butterfly, Is your Majesty willing to accept the King's royal oath?" he asked towards the nervous looking lad who flashed a look over to Star. In retrospect this was little help as she was far too obsessed with the frankly ludicrously sized bowl of Nachos that awaited her at the end of this. Marco was pretty certain she was actually drooling slightly. 'Great, you're on your own here Diaz...or errm...Butterfly I guess' He thought, bringing a small smile to his lips as he thought over the name change 'Guess I just..do what Star did?' he thought before answering in a very nervous voice. "I am willing".

The priest, seeming to sense his nervousness, nodded gently and gave him a reassuring smile before reading aloud from the page. "Do you, Marco Diaz-Butterfly, Knight-Commander of the Mewnian Army, Solemnly promise to assist the Queen in the course of her duties, to safeguard her protection and see to the defence and survival of Mewni in times of greatest trial, to ensure justice and stability in the laws of the kingdom, to ensure alliances and the bonds of friendship and brotherhood which the kingdom relies upon in times of peace and war are defended and built upon to the upmost of your power?".

Marco thought over the speech for a moment, for some reason it stirred in him memories of everything that had happened since he had met Star. Protecting her, forging friendships across dimensions, fighting off threats that time and time again had converged against Mewni. These promises required nothing more of him than he'd been doing ever since he'd met the beautiful women he had just married. He gave a proud and wide smile, puffing out his chest slightly to the amusement of Star as he announced aloud "I solemnly promise to do so and I shall maintain my promise until my dying day" he declared.

The priest nodded "If the pair of you would please bow your heads and if the servants can bring forth the crowns" he asked, prompting two smartly dressed servants of the castle to carefully lift each crown from it's respective pillow and stand before the couple who's heads were now bowed low as instructed. The priest then read one final passage to mark off the ceremony.

"Then by the power invested in me by the ancient laws of Mewni and by the authority of the Monarchy and of the Butterfly Kingdom, I hereby declare you Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz-Butterfly as Queen and King of Mewni, Long Live the Queen!" the priest declared to a loud cheer and passionate cry from the surrounding guests "Long live the Queen!" they all rejoiced as Star turned around with a wide and that 'little too excited' smile that Marco both adored and feared.

"Now let's party already!" she yelled, rushing headlong for the bowl of Nachos before Marco had the chance to stop her.

**Outside Butterfly Castle**

The noises of celebration, merriment and drunkenness faded into the background in these dark and quiet backstreets of Mewni that outlined the back of the spectacular Butterfly Castle. A few drunken stragglers here and there as well as the odd child who had snuck out after hours to make mischief was all that occupied these streets that were far disconnected from the partying and feasting that took place in the central square. 'Ugh, much better' Thought Tyrius as he made his way carefully through the dimly lit streets and alleyways, occasionally peaking out towards the castle's mighty walls to check for openings he could exploit.

The teen was certainly not new to this kind of thing, having practised the same manoeuvres and infiltration tactics during training exercises with his mentor Sophia many times on the walls of their citadel in the badlands. He took in the walls of Butterfly Castle one more time, observing their height and making the comparison in his mind to the citadel he had climbed many times over. He chuckled to himself "child's play" he muttered as he ducked into a shadow cast by the wall itself, shielding him from any prying eyes that might spot his movements.

From his side he unhooked a length of coiled rope which was more than high enough to reach the top of the castle walls. At the end of the rope was tied a steel hook with four prongs facing outwards, their ends barbed so that they could not be easily ripped out once they'd dug into something. Taking the coils of rope into his right hand and the hooked end into his left, he launched the hook up to the top of the wall. It landed with a small clatter, the hooks embedding themselves between two of the crenellations in the structure.

Tyruis smiled a small, cocky grin. The teen tested the rope with a few hard pulls, ensuring it would hold his weight, before beginning his ascent. It was quick and the boy's experience showed as he made it over onto the wall in no more than 15 seconds or so. At the top he scanned his left and right sides. 'No guards' he thought 'They're are probably preoccupied with the rest of the castle and the party' he considered as he looked down to the observe the area just below the wall.

The area below was a small flower garden enclosed by the outer walls and the walls of the castle building itself. It was dotted with patches of rose bushes of all colours as well as a dozen or so other flowers which Tyrius did not care enough about to even think about trying to identify. The entire space was also overlooked by a large but decrepid looking tower which was coated with vines and overgrown plants, looking like it hadn't been used in centuries. The boy did however notice that the garden seemed to be empty at the very least so he retrieved his hook and rope and embedded the hook into the inner part of the wall.

The boy then rappelled down into the garden, taking care to remain as quiet as possible lest a patrol come round. He could more than handle a couple of measly Mewnian guardsman with his skill, but the old man had told him to avoid being spotted and avoid fighting unless it was absolutely necessary. 'What a drag...I could have this done in five minutes if he wasn't being so dull about it' the teen thought to himself as his feet made contact with the grass below. He let the rope dangle on the wall, in the dark it wouldn't easily be spotted and what's more he needed an escape route anyway.

Making his way through the garden, he made sure to stick close to the wall. The shadows hid his presence brilliantly from any pair of eyes that might be scanning the space from afar and he could easily close the distance to the castle at speed without arousing suspicion. Eventually he came to a small wooden door that looked to be little more than a servant's entrance. 'If I'm gonna last in there without being spotted I'm gonna need to hunt for a disguise' he plans as he opens the door ever so slightly so that he can peer in through the gap.

The small corridor the doorway lead to was empty and the boy could hear no voices coming from within, only the distant noises of the parties both inside and outside the castle walls which were faded slightly from the distance. He entered the castle slowly, closing the door carefully behind him so as not to risk the noise. As he crept down the thin and sparse corridor he began to scan the doors of each room. 'Breakroom-Lower servants', 'Gardeners store', 'Magical weed-killer'. All of them useless to what he needed.

The boy peered round the corner into one of the main halls of the castle. Again rooms dotted each side at regular intervals which were marked with useless titles like '1st floor custodian's office' and 'Nacho store (Keep Out-Order of Marco)'. Even despite not having a clue what a 'Nacho' was Tyrius found himself very tempted to sabotage this room simply to spite Marco. His hand lingered at the doorknob for a few moments before he thought better of his actions. He didn't have time to waste with petty things like that, some other time perhaps.

Eventually, while exploring the long and twisted corridors of Butterfly Castle, the chaotic and cheerful sounds of the party above getting louder with each step he took, he found a door simply marked 'Guard Locker Room'. The boy smiled deviously for a moment 'With a guard uniform I'd have free reign of the place' he thought to himself as he carefully creaked open the door and peered once more through the gap. Noone in sight. The boy crept through the doorway and closed the heavy wooden door gently behind him.

The room was plain by anyone's standards. A simple dressing room lined with wooden cabinets which the guards could store their uniforms during their off days and their civilian clothing while they worked. It wasn't special but Tyrius cared little for it's decoration and began to search each of the lockers across the wall for not only a uniform, but one that would fit the boy properly so that he wouldn't stand out too much. Eventually he managed to find a guard uniform in one of the lockers adorning the back wall. It was slightly too big for him but judging that it was the only one available, a flawed disguise was better than no disguise, he began to put the uniform over the clothes he was currently wearing.

Sorry dad' He thought to himself as he covered up his father's uniform with the Mewnian one 'It's for the greater good, I don't like it either'. He pulled on the blue uniform of the castle guards and strapped his highly sharpened hook swords to his back. Probably not Mewnian standard but he could probably pass it off as a family heirloom which wouldn't technically be a lie he reasoned to himself before carefully slipping out of the locker room and began heading down the hall.

He walked down the hallways with confidence like he was supposed to be there. He even managed to fake an expression of happiness despite his disgust for the entire place in general. As he passed through the hallways he continued to scan the rooms for anything that seemed like the right location, any rooms with additional guards posted outside. He had no luck until he came to the 6th floor of the castle and noticed a room towards the end of the hall with two guards stood outside it. The golden plated sign on the doorway told him all he needed to know 'Star Butterfly's Room'.

The boy chuckled internally, making sure the guards saw no change in his expression as he approached. 'This is gonna be far too easy' he thought as he came up to the two large and stern looking guards, both of which carried tall pikes as well as having a broadsword strapped to their hips. They certainly weren't about to let him pass without a fight, but that wasn't the boy's plan anyway. He stood up straight, mimicking the position of attention that he'd seen Mewnian knights bring themselves to multiple times today as he had watched the great parade outside from his hiding spot.

"I've been sent to relieve you of duty" he declared pointing to the guard on his right who, he figured at least from the less impressive symbol on his arm compared to his partner, was the junior of the two guards. The two guards eyed each other with doubting looks before turning back to the boy. "I'm not due to be relieved for another couple hours, who sent you squire?" he asked with an accusing tone.

'Squire!?' thought Tyrius as from the corner of his eye he spotted the single golden chevron sewn into his borrowed uniform's right arm and noticed that the guards he was talking to had 2 chevrons and 3 chevrons respectively. They outranked him, he had no option of ordering them to move. 'This'll be a little harder then...unless' Tyrius thought as he faked a slightly fearful and nervous expression.

"I...I dunno I was just told to come up here and guard Princess Star's room, it's kinds my first duty tonight and...I didn't know really what to do and so just did as I was told and..." The boy rambled in beautifully acted but nonetheless fake confusion and upset before the more senior guard raised his hand for the boy to stop talking.

"Alright, alright" he began in a stern but reassuring voice to the teen "No need to start fretting and worrying, we've all been there lad, I'll go find Senior Knight Uritas and find out what's going on" he said handing over the large pike to Tyrius who took the heavy weapon into both hands in an attempt to hold it steady. "Just, stand there with Dawes until I get back then I'll tell you what you're supposed to be doing, what's your name again kid?" he asked as he switched places with Tyrius, leaving the boy on one side of the door.

"Kahchi" Tyrius answered without hesitation causing the guard to raise an eyebrow for a second before shrugging to himself. "Really must be new, I haven't heard of you till now, but we'll see what Uritas says, I won't be long" he reassures the pair before making his way down the hall, whistling to himself as he went. As the senior guard turned the corner, Dawes turned to Tyrius with a small smile. "Hey don't worry man, first day on duty is always a tough one, where you from anyway?" he asked with a friendly tone.

Tyrius smiled and, using his free hand, pulled a small syringe containing a small amount of Turquoise coloured liquid from his back pocket, taking care to hide the movement from the second guard as he did so. He looked up to the second guard with a wide and sinister looking grin on his lips as a confident chuckle leaked from his mouth. "Helios" he answered before plunging the end of the needle deep into the guard's neck and pushing down on the plunger.

Before the guard could react Tyrius covered his mouth and preventing any cries for help from making it down the hallway. After a few seconds of struggle, the heavy pike fell down onto the floor with a mighty thud as the guard went limp in Tyrius' hands. The boy's smile widened "Sweet dreams soldier, don't worry, by the time you wake up I'll be long gone" he spoke reassuringly to the guard. He then opened the door to a nearby cleaning cupboard and threw the squire in. 'He'll keep in there till morning I expect' Tyrius thought before he entered Star's room, leaving the hallway once again empty.

Inside, Tyrius was greeted by a room which stretched high into the rafters with strange and unworldly decorations. A large four poster bed in it's centre which was adorn with white sheets and long turquoise curtains which draped down to the floor of the room from the bedposts. The room itself was fully decked out with everything from chests full of random junk, to a display of deadly looking weapons on the wall, a mirror-phone which was partially hidden behind it's own set of curtains and a thin spiral staircase which lead to the upper levels of the elaborate room.

There was no time to marvel at the strange place which the Princess of Mewni called her own however, there was work to be done for the young teen as he scanned through the room. On the surface he saw no sign of the wand in here, if the princess was carrying it then this plan was a bust for today, there'd be no way of getting it without being noticed. Tyrius began to look deeper, he headed over to a nearby chest of drawers and opened the top one a crack. Inside he saw a myriad of colours from white to pink to...The boy slammed the draw shut as fast as he could, not caring much for the noise as a red tint adorned his face.

"Wrong drawer...definately not in there..." he muttered before moving on away from those drawers, a small tint of red glowing on his cheeks. He made his way over to the small, wooden bedside cabinet and hesitated at the handle. 'Please don't be something else that's embarrassing' he prayed silently before opening the drawer of the cabinet slowly. 'Jackpot' He thought as there in the centre of the small drawer was the Royal Magic wand. He grinned wickedly at the discovery and quickly stuffed the wand into his provision bag before closing the drawer carefully and exiting the room.

Tyrius no longer cared much for appearances, although it'd be awkward to explain if he ran into that other guard again so he took a different route through the hallways and eventually stumbled across a door on the 3rd floor which was marked simply as 'Wall access'. He chuckled and stepped out of it and onto the upper walls, making his way gradually over to the spot he had placed his grappling hook and rope. He placed the grappling hook into the previous spot between the crenellations he'd managed to hit before with his throw and rappelled down into the streets below with ease.

With a small effort he managed to tease the hook itself off of the wall and quickly bundled the rope and hook together and refixed it to his belt. "Thank you very much Star Butterfly, I'll be sure to come back and return it once we're done" he sarcastically announced to the castle with a cocky bow. As he rose from the gesture his expression turned dark for a moment "And when I do I'll be sure to claim your husband's head as my next prize" he uttered in a murderous tone before turning on his heel and making his way quickly through the streets of Mewni, off in the direction of the badlands.

**A/N: Star and Marco have been officially crowned King and Queen of Mewni and now the kingdom parties the night away in great celebration. But how will they react when they learn that the Royal Wand has been stolen, and what's the next step in the order's plans? Until next time guys :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- The Forbidden Spell**

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The celebrations across Mewni had long since entered their closing stages, now having dragged well into the early hours of the next morning. Many of those who had shown up for the event now made their way (most of them drunkenly) back to their accommodation or homes. Others, who had made a bit more merry than they ought to, were scattered about around the kingdom and had found themselves slumped up clumsily against buildings, walls or in the worst cases the gutters only to be picked up later and lead to the now impressively full drunk tank by the guards.

The kingdom's streets had began, little by little, to be cleared of crowds as they dispersed in all directions across the city. As they did so the bartenders, cooks and merchants who had been manning the various stalls all night for the seemingly endless celebrations breathed a collective sigh of relief. This had been a tiring, but particularly lucrative, night for all of them and they all began the process of cleaning up before they could head home. Not a job anyone would envy. The kingdom was littered with tankards, bottles and glasses now empty of their delicious and inebriating contents as well as various bones, scraps, crusts and splatters of various sauces and gravys from the great feast that the people had partaken in.

Most of the soldiers that had lined the streets in the gloriously lavish and impressive display of Mewnian firepower that was the celebratory parade, had now dispersed along with the stampede of drunken and merry citizens, leaving only the night guardsmen to watch over the calming city. The parade had been a grand spectacle to behold and had seen the forces from across all the kingdoms of Mewni march together in honour of their new, freshly crowned and freshly married, King and Queen.

Up in the towering spires of the Butterfly Kingdom's central point, Butterfly Castle, the guests had begun to thin out from their own party and into the numerous guest bedrooms that had been allocated for the friends and close relatives that had been invited to this much more personal celebration. A few stragglers lingered between the grand (albeit surprisingly nearly empty) bar space watching in awe at Globgor and River who were still attempting to drink one another under the table in a contest that had gotten way out of hand some hours ago. This had been made perfectly clear shortly after Globgor had downed an entire barrel of ale in a single go and River, adamant that he was not going to be bested, demanded a bottle of 3000 year aged whisky which he then swallowed in under a second.

Needless to say both Mewman and Monster were long past the point of sloshed and neither could quite form logical sentences anymore beyond one word "another". Eclipsa and Moon had long since given up on trying to stop them and mutually decided that 'at least they were having fun' and that they could be much more easily punished when they had sobered up. As such the two former queens were busy chatting and gossiping at the other end of the bar, Moon as it turns out had an astonishing number of questions about the past and Eclipsa was mostly happy to oblige on the majority of topics.

Ponyhead was still finishing what was left of the buffet when she was approached by Beumont as the older gentleman calmly repositioned his cloak to cover his head once more. The intricate blood-red fabric once more working with his long facial hair and shabbily kept black locks to obscure his features from view. He stood to a halt a pace from the table where Ponyhead's binge was taking place, he honestly hadn't seen her as much a foodie before now but that opinion had been beaten out of him in an instinct when he had witnessed Star and Ponyhead simultaneously charge the buffet table the second the coronation ceremony had concluded. Beumont remembered the moment vividly.

The two queens had emerged from the dining area with plates that had piled towards the ceiling, making Beumont wonder just how the heck they were balancing it all on such a small piece of silverware, especially without magic. Star herself (despite Marco's continuous protests mostly aimed at saving some for other people) had taken the entire tray of nachos which had been piled high and was still oozing with freshly melted layers of cheese which coated every nook and cranny of the gigantic pile of chips. When a servant approached the new king and told him "Don't worry your majesty, we have dozens of plates worth, there's no way the queen could eat them all". Marco sighed and simply responded "You have no idea..." before following Star to their table.

Shaking the moment from his mind, Beumont smiled down with kind eyes down to the gluttonous queen of the Ponyhead Kingdom and spoke softly, not really wanting to interrupt the carnage of foodstuffs that was taking place. "I would like to thank you for allowing me to accompany you today, it is a true kindness that you've shown this elderly mystic that means a lot" he spoke gratefully as he witnessed Ponyhead stop and look up from her food, a rarity for her irregardless of the situation. She swallowed the mouthful she had taken of what the mystic could only guess used to be pancakes but could no longer be sure against the mountain of mixed foods that had been piled high on the table before him.

"It sounds like you're going?" she asked curiously with an eyebrow raised towards the old man. He nodded gently "Yes, unfortunately the night is old, much like myself, and I've got to get back home and sleep" he replied with a hint of sadness present within his tone. Ponyhead seemed to only be further confused by what he was saying and replied "You know the castle will give you a room right?" she informed the mystic "Breakfast too, and its goood stuff, trust me dude you wanna stay for breakfast" she said almost obsessively enhancing the word 'breakfast' in her plea, noone could argue her trademark love for food had come back in force.

Beumont waved his hand in polite decline with a small smile, barely visible through the thick layers of hair that coated his features, as he spoke "I'm afraid not child" he began kindly "I must return home as I have matters to attend to tomorrow...or well, I suppose later today is more accurate" he amended his sentence with a chuckle as he realised just how late it really was. Ponyhead's own expression drooped for a moment "Are you sure? You don't have to stay long in the morning but.." She was cut off as Beumont once more waved his hand in polite decline. "I'm sure, but thank you once again for the offer, I do hope we can see each other again soon although under better circumstances than our first meeting I am sure". Ponyhead remained in disappointment for a moment before a small, kind-hearted smile formed across her face. "Yeah, I hope so too, Goodnight Beumont" she said sweetly.

The old man then bowed gently at the waist and turned on his heel, making his way steadily out of the castle giving a gentle nod to each person he passed as a sort've 'goodnight' gesture before disappearing into the dimly lit streets of Mewni's deep black and starry night. He carried on for some time through the streets, ensuring that he was clear from view of anyone who might question him, especially clear of the castle or any of it's guards. His expression then changed, his green eyes flashed with malice for a moment and a cunning smile touched his lips. 'Perfect' He thought to himself as he ducked into a dark alleyway between a pair of tall houses whose windows were dark, indicating that the owners were almost certainly asleep and wouldn't witness him.

Out of his robes he pulled a pair of incredibly worn looking pair of dimensional scissors, they were very simple in make compared to some of the others Hekapoo had made over the centuries. These were crafted from a silvery metal that had rusted to a horrible brown and orange crust long ago and looked not much different from a cheap pair of scissors that one might find in a crappy pound shop back on Earth. The lack of aesthetics wasn't something that much bothered the old mystic however and he simply opened them with a noticeable resistance as another layer of rusted metal flaked off the hinge between the blades. He then cut a small, blue portal into the air just in front of him, it's blue swirling energy stabilising and forming into a passage through to his destination within a few seconds and the old man stepped through.

**Marco's Room-Butterfly Kingdom**

"Hi-Ya!" yelled Marco as he kicked open the door to his room with force enough to nearly bring the heavy wooden entrance off it's hinges. Star, being carried rather appropriately in bridal style by her new husband, giggled and complimented the knight turned king on his effort. "Well done Mr Diaz...or should I say Mr Butterfly?" she teased causing Marco to meet her gaze flirtatiously. "Shouldn't that be 'King Butterfly'?" he teased in return as he carefully carried her through the open doorway, using his foot to shut the door behind them.

"Oh-ho, like your new title do we?" she asked playfully as he carefully lowered her down so she was once more able to stand, she did however keep her arms wrapped gently across his the back of his neck as his own hands wrapped around her waist and met at the small of her back. Marco chuckled as he drew his wife closer to him, "Yeah, I guess it's got a nice ring to it I guess" he teased with a sly smile drawn across his face.

Star giggled and drew a finger across his chest "Well get used to it, you're gonna hear it alot from now on" she giggles before using his collar to pull him into a sweet kiss. The couple stayed like this for some time before parting, both of them entirely within their own world. A world containing nothing except for them, a world they could both escape to whenever they desired, safe in the knowledge that it was theirs and theirs alone. It was perfect.

"Marriage, Crowns..." Marco began with a small smile towards his beloved whose gaze he could simply get lost in. Her beautiful ocean-like blue eyes containing within them everything he loved and needed, it was enough to lose his train of thought whenever he stared for too long. "..what's next?" he finally asked in a voice which clearly demonstrated the trance he'd put himself into. Star giggled at him, this happened more often than the knight would ever admit and she found it all too sweet whenever she caught him out.

She used her index finger to draw small circles on the knight's chest as a flirtatious smile grew across her lips, almost as if she had quite a few ideas to pitch to the knight as a response "Well Marco, you know that sooner or later we're going to need to think about heirs don't you?" she asked teasingly, snapping the knight out of the remainder of his trance. A deep red grew across Marco's cheeks at Star's response as a million different thoughts and desires came to mind all at once. He couldn't stop his eyes wandering up and down Star's physique as the thought came to mind.

Star giggled and stepped back a couple paces, almost showing off to the boy while a sly smile continued to grow across her lips as she eyed Marco in a similar fashion. The boy gulped, his hand lightly squeezing Star's as she gradually led him closer to the bed. "You...You think so huh?" he asked with a nervous stammer and even more nervous smile as they approached the edge of the bed and Star laid down on one side, gesturing for him to join her. He gulped once more and laid himself down next to her and turned so that his gaze met hers.

She placed her hands around the back of his neck once more, and in response to his question, she simply nodded and closed her eyes awaiting a kiss. Marco, for all his nerves simply couldn't refuse the beauty who lay with him and closing his own eyes leaned forwards so his lips met hers.

**The Badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

The barren plains of the badlands were shielded from view by the inky blackness of night with only the light of the incredible expanse of stars above the battered, flat and dusty landscape of this uncared for and hostile land within the lands of the now destroyed Helios Empire. The stars above seemed to be the only beautiful thing left about these abandoned lands, so much had been left and stripped in the collapse of the empire that there was little to be enamoured with.

The skyline of the lands was bare apart from the overbearing and intimidating presence of the long-abandoned citadel which had once formed the most mighty fortress of the empire. These lands once containing her incredible farmlands which had supplied generations of Helios citizens and soldiers, who had resided within and protected the fort and surrounding lands, with food and plentiful water. The nearby quarries and mineshafts had supplied a bounty of untold riches and materials which allowed the empire to expand and grow into a beautiful and prosperous state and build her impressive industrial capacity.

Now this mighty citadel it seems was a forgotten relic of a by-gone age in the history of Mewni. A relic of a civilization and of a people which had been cast down into the abyss after they had followed a tyrant onto the battlefields of the largest conflict Mewni had ever seen. It seems fitting that it's only remaining occupants were those most loyal to that tyrant ruler, they themselves ghosts of the past who occupied a fallen castle.

The fortress was dark for the most part, its blackened granite stone casting an imposing silhouette against the night sky above. A small light however glowed outwards from a small archway built into the wall which housed a small table and what would've once been an attractive bar or servery built into the wall itself. Clearly it had once been used by the defenders of the fort as a small break and social area for when they were off watch or had been given permission to get a quick meal. Now however it played host to the four people who now called this dead fortress 'home'. Not that it was a particularly homely place anymore.

Sat in the far corner, mostly trying to mind his own business and tinker with some designs in a small, red leatherbound notebook was Conaris. The quiet engineer barely looked up from his little notebook and was seemingly entranced with his activity. His pencil moved like lightning across the paper as random notes, sketches and calculations which looked to be gibberish to anyone else littered each page. He also muttered to himself in a low tone so as to avoid any of his thinking being overheard. Seems an inner monologue wasn't among his many traits as the mutterings carried across the air towards his companions. Not that it mattered, what little could be picked up from his ramblings made little sense anyway, something about 'optimal trajectory' here, a random comment about 'terrain suitability' there. None of it registering with anyone who cared to listen, not that anyone sat nearby did.

If anything the engineer's lunatic mutterings seemed to provide some sort of distraction for Tyrius who was perched on the servery sharpening one of his daggers with a nearly obsessive level of care and attention. Every now and again he would run the blade through a small scrap of paper, testing how cleanly and perfectly it cut before frowning and going back to the sharpening stone. The blade by this point was sharper than a surgeons razor but it seems that was still not sharp enough for the teen, his thoughts constantly returning to the face of his target.

He couldn't help but wonder something in the back of his mind after his mission that same night. What if he had disobeyed the old man? He had been inside the halls of Butterfly Castle after all, he had been so close to his ultimate target. The boy didn't care much for Helios or the fallen empire or the 'betrayal of Tamia' or whatever the old man spent his days ranting about. The boy simply wanted revenge. Revenge on that bastard Earthling who had murdered his farther and cost personally more than Tyrius could have ever imagined.

He had been so close, only a few more doors...a few more hallways and he'd have come face to face with his father's killer. Why had he gone through with his mission like the old man had told him? I mean sure, he probably would've been overpowered by the castle guard afterwards. Or if not he would probably have had Beumont hunting him down for disobedience and as much as Tyrius played him off as some geriatric fool there was no doubt the old mystic was powerful. But even so, once his mission was complete there was nothing else for the boy to care about so why didn't he just go for it?

Suddenly there was a snapping noise, causing everyone to jump at once at the sudden sound. Tyrius was shook from his thoughts and looked down. He'd been so focused on his internal conflicts that he'd managed to snap his dagger. The boy sighed "great...that's perfect" he muttered before turning to Conaris and holding up the busted dagger. The tip had broken clean off leaving a blunted end to the otherwise razor sharp blade of the knife. "Yo, think you can fix this Engi?" the teen asked to the tired and shy-looking man who looked up briefly from his calculations to observe the blade.

"Yes, won't be too hard" he replied going back to his pages. "Simple patch job, just find me the other piece and drop it off in my workshop, I'll have it done inside a day" he says in a monotone voice which seemed to convey a distinct boredom with such a simple job. Tyrius then picked up the broken section of the blade and placed both bits next to him with a sigh at his mistake. Now he had to find a new way to occupy his time, looking over to the table which sat at the centre of the small archway he spotted the other two of his companions and decided to watch them for some entertainment. 'After all, it's Verlock and Sophia' the teen thought to himself with a knowing grin 'this is always fun'.

Sophia and Verlock were both sat at either end of the small, mostly rotted away, wooden table each of them clutching a small cup of steaming liquid. The pair were certainly very odd to watch when they were in the same room. They seemed to be in a constant state of judgement for one another despite sharing the same goal for almost the same reasons. Although it was only natural, back in the days of the empire each of them had spent most of their time jockeying for the emperor's favour and trying to discredit the other. As such trying to get them to work together now was much like trying to get two children to share a toy as most of their interactions ended up in large scale arguments.

For now however they were mostly quiet, Verlock was tapping out a rhythm on the table with his fingertips in obvious boredom. The sound quite clearly irritating Sophia whose eye seemed to twitch at every single tap of the incessant beat. After a few minutes Sophia's fist clenched tightly and she slammed her fist onto the table with enough force to crack the weakened and splintered wood. Verlock's tapping immediately ceased as he looked up with a puzzled expression towards her.

"Something the matter?" he asked her in an accusing tone, clearly not pleased with the rather sudden interruption to the little song he had been tapping out. He looked down his nose at her, she was nothing more than a meathead to him. Unrefined and ill-educated so he thought, fit only for combat much like the grunts of the empire's former armies. Her scar covered skin was repulsive to him, unwomanly and certainly nothing to be as proud of as she was.

Verlock on the other hand was little more than a worm to Sophia. A thin, pale stick of a man who looked like a stiff breeze would send him hurtling for miles. His foul breath like stale coffee which oozed outwards everytime he talked, repulsing her to sit as far away as possible even when they argued. She hated that he could seemingly talk his way out of anything, the man fought his battles with lies and plots, not with honour and courage and she hated every bit of that.

"Yes, funnily enough I'm sharing a table with an annoying rat who can't seem to keep quiet" she retorted with disgust and a hate-filled stare as she watched the man pull out his little black journal and begin flicking through, as if bored at the prospect of speaking to her. "Well I didn't ask you to sit here Sophia, you're more then welcome to move" his eyes darted over the rim of the book before he finished "Encouraged even".

Sophia's eyes narrowed at the comment. She spat on the ground next to her before looking back up to speak "That was pretty bold, good to know you've found your man-hood at last, under your bed this morning was it?" she fired back although the spymaster barely looked up from his notebook as he retorted.

"Well you would know all about that, you're certainly no women anyway". Verlock's comment caused Sophia to seethe with rage, her fists clenched tightly now. Every fibre of her being yearning to punch the smug spymaster right in his pale skinned face. "Yeah well at least I don't feel some stupid need to measure my steps as I walk, you realise it makes you look like a douche right!?" she fires back as the argument between the two starts to heat up. Tyrius looked on with a small grin, he almost wished he had some popcorn or something.

Verlock sighs and gently places the little black book back into the inside pocket of his jacket. Before clasping his hands together and facing down the angered women opposite him. "It's called 'making yourself presentable' and honestly.." he paused, looking her up and down and judging the unsightly scars that marred her flesh "You really should try it some time" he concluded with a narrow look of disgust. Sophia almost chuckled at the comment "you're the last person who should be talking about presentability" she retorted with a confident grin.

Verlock smirked at the insult and a devious idea took over his mind, he knew exactly where to attack. He knew all too well what would wipe that smile from her face. "Say, Sophia I forget..." he began with a widening grin adorning his pale lips "What exactly was your job in the empire again? Head of the emperor's guard wasn't it?" he continued causing Sophia's expression to change to one of silent anger.

"Don't even think about it" she warned in a low tone, clearly whatever game they had been playing was over. This was turning far more serious, even Tyrius could feel the general vibe of the place start to change as the two rivals stared each other down. Verlock persisted however, if she was going to attack him well...turnabout is fair play after all. "Tell me, how did that work out exactly, seems to me like if you'd been competent in your duty we wouldn't be here" he utters with a wide grin, knowing exactly what he had done.

Sophia stood immediately "You rat little bastard I'll kill you!" she screamed, but right before the two could lunge for one another a voice echoed out of the darkness and silenced them all. "Enough!" came the deep, commanding voice out of the darkness of the night. All of those in the small archway looked towards the source of the noise to eventually be greeted by a robed figure slowly walking into the light of the few candles which dimly illuminated the seating area.

"Can I not leave for one night without you two attempting to tear each other's throats out?" Beumont asked as he looked down on Verlock and Sophia like a pair of school children. Each of them sat back into their chairs, somewhat embarrassed and shameful expressions plastered across their faces. Beumont was certainly unimpressed, his eyes stared piercingly down onto the pair who had fallen silent and were seemingly awaiting a lecture.

Verlock however then smiled, standing up so that he could properly bow at the waist towards the mystic. "Ah Your Excellency, I do hope you had a pleasant evening despite the errm..." he eyed Sophia from the corner of his vision before continuing. "..Less than pleasant company" he finished with a small, confident grin as he stood up from his posturing. Sophia scoffed as she watched the spymaster's display and rolled her eyes "kiss ass" she muttered in a low voice.

Verlock shoots her a foul look and opens his mouth to speak but before he can get out his retort he is interrupted by Beumont once more. "Yes Verlock, my evening was perfectly acceptable" he began as he took a spot at the table between the two, lifting the hood off of his face and allowing himself to be seen in the dim light of the candles. "I even managed to find a nice sherry to pilfer the next time we find ourselves inside those walls" he mentioned as the thought sprung to mind as to what he'd spent all night drinking. 'Damn, I should've taken a bottle back with me' he thought before pushing the thought out of his mind.

He turned towards Tyrius, the boy was already reaching behind him in anticipation of what the old man wanted. "How did your mission go my boy?" he asked in an almost grandfatherly but also stern voice, as if a wrong answer would mean consequences. Tyrius picked up on this and produced the bag at once. It was as he said, the old man wasn't one to piss off at times like this. "Success, only had to put one guard to sleep, he shouldn't be wake up for a few more hours at least though" the boy answered with a smirk as he thought about the poor guard he'd drugged in front of Star's room.

Beumont smiled as Tyrius placed the leather bag down onto the table, the flap closed over ensuring noone could presently see inside. All three of the table's occupants leaned in as Beumont reached his left hand onto the flap. He carefully lifted the flap of the bag to reveal the contents. A glint of gold and purple light glowed along the walls of the bag as the candlelight began to creep inside and reflect on the surface of the object contained within. The royal magic wand of Mewni itself.

"So many throughout history have tried to claim this prize, and none before us have ever succeeded" Beumont marvelled as he held his hand just above the wand. Something about it was so...forbidden, he almost could not bring himself to touch it. As if something, some unknown force would smack his hand away or punish him for laying so much as a finger upon it. But he knew that he must posses it, it was all he needed to complete the plan he had spent the last two years of his life pursuing. Tentatively he plucked the wand from the bag and held it aloft in his hand.

There was a flash and the wand radiated a prominent blue energy, yellow sparks flashed off the star shaped crystal in it's centre and the bright light consumed the wand's form. Everyone gathered within the archway quickly shielded their eyes from the bright light which seemed to illuminate almost the entire blackened fortress in a bright, pale light. It persisted for a few seconds before fading out gradually revealing that the wand had drastically changed it's form while in the grip of Beumont.

The wand was now a long, jet black staff which was just slightly shorter than Beumont was tall. The head of the staff was capped off with what appeared to be a statuette of a great eagle with it's wings outstretched wide and a bright, golden sun in it's breast. The golden sun with it's twelve large rays outstretching from it's central circle, was the newly formed shape of the wand's crystal from which all of it's powers manifested.

Beumont held the newly formed wand aloft in his hand, gently studying every inch of it's newly found shape according to it's perception of his whim. Needless to say he was fascinated and blown away by the sudden nature of the transformation, he had read about the wand and studied it tirelessly, however he had thought there was an element of control about how the wand transformed whereas he had not done this or considered this design in even the deepest reaches of his mind. For a moment he couldn't fathom the power of what he now held in his hand.

Still looking abit shellshocked, he spoke to noone in particular in a monotone and entranced voice. "With this, I hold the empire's second chance, our redemption, our destiny". His companions, including Conaris who had until now been trying to avoid any involvement with the activities of the others, now all stood in equal awe of the newly formed wand and of the spectacle that had transpired before them. This was the mood for some time until Beumont's mind once more snapped back to reality and he looked to his companions.

"We have little time, we must move now if we wish to accomplish our goal before the Butterfly family realises that their most prized heirloom is missing" he uttered with haste before directing his commands to the rest of the group. "All of you, gather what you need you have 10 minutes, then we depart for the Magic Sanctuary" he ordered before leading the way into the black citadel to retrieve the final elements of his plan.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The city had fallen silent, nothing but the far off noises of nocturnal animals and the whistle of a gentle breeze now disturbed the slumbering cityscape of the Butterfly Kingdom. The starry sky above illuminated the streets as the reflections of starlight off the nearby planets that hung in the night sky bathed the landscape in purple, blue and orange hues which made the world appear as if a portrait in a national gallery.

Watching over the city, on the grand balcony where the newly crowned king and queen had shared their first public kiss and where Moon had formally announced to the world that she was handing the throne over to Star. There on that balcony stood two lone figures, themselves a loving couple forged from the fires of the war which had engulfed this kingdom not two years ago. Tom and Tamia both stood admiring the beautiful Mewnian skyline, a sight not seen in the underworld and that the pair could rarely indulge themselves in.

The king and queen of the Lucitor Union together were talking about not much in particular, gossiping mostly about the strange events that had taken place during Star and Marco's wedding and coronation. Laughing along with each other as they recalled various events such as when Eclipsa had 'Accidentally' sent all of the snookers bars flying directly over to her table before the servants could even place them down as part of the buffet.

Tom however couldn't seem to pull his mind away from something that seemed to be troubling him. The conversation earlier that he'd had with Marco still resonating in his mind and this entire day had not done well to clear the feelings contained within him from the king's mind. Tamia was usually more than enough of a distraction from whatever troubled his mind but..when she was what troubled him, what exactly was left to distract him? Unfortunately for the young king he wasn't that good at hiding this fact from his girlfriend and she placed a gentle hand onto his as her kind, crimson eyes met his own.

"Hey, what's up? You seem kinda distracted?" she asked with a small look of concern as she squeezed the demon's hand lightly. Tom at first gives a nod and a small smile, but it became clear all too suddenly this wasn't going to fly as Tamia's expression turned to one of doubt. She removed her hand from his and placed both of her hands at her hips. "You know you're not a great liar Tom" she scolded the king who looked down in shame. True he wasn't the best at lying in general but especially not to her, she could read him like a book, it'd be annoying if it wasn't also kinda sweet.

Tom sighed "Alright, I'm sorry" he apologised as he looked out towards the city and skyline beyond. "It's just...with everything today I kinda couldn't help but think about, our own future yknow?" he said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. Tamia tilted her head to the side. "You mean you're still worried about that from this morning?" she asked curiously. Tom could only nod in response, a deep blush forming on his face.

Tamia sighed, a small smile creeping across her face at the thought. "Tom, are you sure you want to think about that already?" she asked "I mean, we've only been together about 2 years, and yes we've been through alot and I love you very much...but do you think we're really ready for that?" she finished as she took Tom's hands in her own with a sympathetic smile as she looked up towards him to notice a small expression of disappointment on his face.

He looked down somewhat melancholy "So...you're saying no?" he asked with a hurt expression as his grip loosened on her hands. But Tamia's own grip held him in place "Tom" she began with a sweet and gentle tone to her speech. "I'm saying that I want us to have a few more years to have an adventure together, you know like Star and Marco had, it's not a no just...yknow...not today okay?" she said as she brought a hand up to his cheek and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. Tom was quickly drawn into the kiss, forgetting the concerns he had and feeling any feelings of rejection melt away in the girl's presence.

As they parted, Tamia gave the demon king a flirtatious look. "One day Lucitor" she remarked, twirling a finger on his chest in the shape of small circles, "One day I'll be happy to stand across the aisle from you, but until then..." she began leading him into the castle and away from the balcony "..lets go get some rest okay?" she said, dragging him up towards their allotted guest room before closing the door behind them.

**Magic Sanctuary-Mewni**

The deep blue portal tore open just above the ground and quickly stabilised as the swirling energy came together to form the magical doorway in the centre of the grassy plain just clear of a large forest of strangely angry looking trees. In the darkness of the trees it even appeared that many of them contained sets of glowing red eyes which followed as those who had created the portal began to emerge one by one into the open plain.

It was a pristine area, aside from the strange snarls and growls of the creatures in the nearby forest filling the air with noises that would terrify most who came this far. Not these persons however, they had all known far worse than anything this forest could throw at them and paid little heed to the mysterious and angry creatures of the dark woods.

Beumont had emerged first, holding aloft the wand in his right hand and using it as a walking aid much as he had done with his old staff. In his left hand he wielded a large and heavy looking tome which was bound in a black-leather, solid cover with golden clasps to seal it shut when not in use. The tome didn't possess a title, however the mystic kept it more closely guarded than even the wand.

The old man was quickly followed by Verlock and Sophia who were grumbling at each other under their breath as they emerged. Seemingly more obsessed with their personal grudge than they were in the picturesque and mysterious area they found themselves in. Both of them were only silenced when Beumont quickly shot them a look which told them clearly that he was trying to concentrate. They quietened down and allowed the mystic to continue observing their surroundings for what he sought.

Finally Conaris and Tyrius emerged, allowing the portal to close. Both of them looked equally uninterested although for entirely different reasons. Tyrius simply observed the landscape with a bored expression on his face as he looked for something to entertain him. Conaris on the other hand was still obsessing over his calculations and drawings, muttering to himself constantly as he scrawled and rescrawled over the increasingly filling pages of his little journal.

Beumont looked out to see a great lake of purest blue water. The lake seemed to supernaturally glow as the moonlight bounced off the water's surface and the stars reflected in the water almost looking like a field of diamonds was submerged in the lake's crystal waters. At the front of the lake stood a strange, light blue crocodile with wide eyes and a long mouth which ended in a bulky nose, it's white and sharp teeth protruding from it's lips at seemingly random intervals.

Beumont approached the creature and knelt next to it, causing Verlock to rush forward his hand placed on his dagger. "Your Excellency! Are you sure that is wise? This creature could be hostile!" he warned with a look of panic on his thin features. Beumont held up a calm hand towards the spymaster though "Don't be afraid Verlock" he calmly informed the pale man as he shifted closer to the creature before him "This is the gatekeeper of the Magic Sanctuary, it would be wise not to draw that weapon on him" he informed the man while giving a stern look towards the hand that Verlock still had placed on his dagger.

Verlock nodded understandingly and stepped back, relinquishing the dagger from his grasp. "My apologies Your Excellency, please forgive my misunderstanding" he pleaded in a dignified tone as he stepped back into line with Sophia and the others. Sophia chuckled to herself and whispered in Verlock's ear "Crapped yourself" she teased with a sly smile causing Verlock to grumble angrily in response.

Beumont placed the large tome gently on the ground, unhooking the golden clasps and opening the book with a loud thud and small cloud of dust as it hit the dry ground below it. He began to flick through page after page in rapid succession until he found one in particular. Whilst reading he pulled a couple of faces of confusion as the passages laid themselves out before him, he then flashed a gaze at the gatekeeper. Then shrugged realising no way around what he had just read and closed up the book.

He cleared his throat and looked into the eyes of the gatekeeper, the crocodile's strange far off glare gazing back into him. The old mystic then clearly and loudly exulted "Bwa!". This immediately made each of his companions stop whatever they were doing and stare confusedly towards the elderly man, none of them quite believing they'd heard him right. It surprised them further when the crocodile fired back with a response "Bwaa".

"Bwaaaaa!" declared the mystic again, drawing a further look of confusion from the group. Tyrius crept closer to Sophia and whispered in his mentor's ear "Errrm, so has the old man just gone senile finally?" he asked, unable to quite take his eyes off the strange display as the mystic and the crocodile shared a single word conversation which bounced between them. Sophia shook her head "It sure looks like it...but...he's gotta have some reason right?" she asked with trepidation towards Verlock. But all the spymaster could do was shrug as they all looked on at the strange display.

After a few minutes of a very odd display the crocodile then turned its back on the group and proceeded outwards into the lake, submerging itself within the crystal-like waters. Beumont got back up to his feet and cradled the book in the crook of his left arm once more, using the wand to haul his old bones upright once more. He then looked outwards to the expanse of water, witnessing as a large mass of similar looking crocodile creatures suddenly emerged in a grand pile from the lake's depths.

After a few seconds they all slid back into the lake and as the pile disintegrated and slid back to the submerged depths they revealed a grand cylindrical building with a multi-coloured crystalline rooftop and what almost appeared to be a pale mural of Glossaryck on the front overlooking the doorway. Large slabs of stone formed a pathway of islands which lead up to the grand doors of the building. Beumont did not waste any time and simply gestured towards the building and made his way gently across the slippery stone pathway.

His companions were more confused than ever, but each shrugged towards one another not wanting to be the one to bring up the odd nature of what they had just witnessed. Instead they followed the mystic into the mysterious building in the centre of the lake. Once inside they marvelled at it's grandness. Great statues depicting the likeness of Glossaryck were everywhere. A great pool of shimmering water flowed in the centre of the space with a large towering well in the centre.

The well of magic. A great tower within the sanctuary with a thin spiral stairway that lead up to a rooftop covered hole containing the thick golden liquid that bubbled up from the magic dimension itself. Beumont's smile grew wide as he looked up towards it, he then faced his companions. "Gather around my friends, the moment we've long been seeking is nearly at hand" he spoke with a proud and deep tone, filled it seems with the purest joy at what he was about to do.

The mystic's companions gathered at the bottom of the well as Beumont himself climbed the thin stairway up to it's summit. An oddly challenging climb especially for a man as old as he was, but within a few minutes he had reached the summit and once more opened the heavy, black tome that he had floated to the top using his own powers. 'Never found anything that telekinesis can't help' he thought to himself with a chuckle before returning to his affairs.

He began flicking through the pages of the thick tome once more until he came across one in particular. A wicked grin took his lips as he read the passage. After reading for a moment he stood tall to address his companions. "Friends, we have all lost much in the last two years; Our homes, our kingdom, our loved ones and our dignity as men and women of Helios" he began, his voice had changed somewhat. No longer was it old and weathered as it had been, now it was prideful, strong and stoic. It was like the voice of a much younger man.

"But no more, today we set out on a path to revive our fallen nation, to bring back into the fold the lands rightfully ours and especially..." he hesitated. Memories flooding his mind as rage burned through him "..And especially to take revenge against those who sent us hurtling into the abyss, revenge against the Butterfly Family, the Lucitors and the traitor Princess Tamia" he uttered darkly before holding the magic wand over the top of the golden, glittering liquid of the well of magic, ensuring that the crystal the wand housed faced down towards the pool.

The old mystic cleared his throat and finally uttered the spell he'd been waiting to use for so long now. "I call on time's eternal powers. To reach it's hand back through the hours. Return to me what fate has taken. Revive them, let them reawaken!" he declared as a small droplet of deep blue liquid, almost resembling a teardrop fell from the wand into the pool of golden, magical liquid causing gentle ripples to expand outwards towards the ancient stone walls of the well.

Beumont lifted the wand out of the way, and waited. A swirling blue light began to glow outwards from the well as pale smoke rose from it's depths gently floating towards the roof of the sanctuary. The building rumbled, steadily at first, but soon the rumbling was like an earthquake had hit full force and the sanctuary was ground zero. The swirling void began to spin faster, and faster and faster until it was impossible to tell gold from blue in the well's depths.

Beumont stepped a few paces back on the pillar, looking on in awe at the sheer power before him. "Yes..." he muttered in awe and anticipation "Yes my lord...return to us" he beckoned as the golden liquid of the well began to rise upwards in a controlled mass of golden, syrup like liquid which continued to rise gradually until it stood around 6 feet tall above the well's lip. The golden, syrup-like magic then began to contort and stretch and squeeze until it began to gradually resemble the rough shape of a human.

Yes, it was clear to all of them now. The magic had formed into a very abstract shape of a humanoid figure. It held no detail as of yet but it was unmistakable to the eye. Sophia, Verlock, Tyrius and Conaris all watched in shock as the magic continued to shape itself bit by bit as it became even more recognisable. Feet, toes, arms, hands, fingers. All were soon easy to identify as the magic then stopped it's movements leaving a perfect, purest gold silhouette of a man standing above the well.

Suddenly and without warning, everybody shielded their eyes as a blinding flash engulfed the sanctuary and a beam of purest white light shot into the skyline of Mewni. Illuminating the world above like a second sun had risen into the pitch black sky. Animals and beasts fled in terror below as the light revealed them all without distinction, for a hundred miles not a shadow could exist in the sheer volume of blinding purity that radiated outwards from the sanctuary.

Inside, the light was at it's most intense. While shielding his own eyes Beumont could've sworn he could see the skeleton of his hand through it's skin and his eyelids. So astonishingly bright was the flash that it seemed nothing could stop it from penetrating his gaze. This all lasted a few minutes until finally the colossal column of blinding light faded from the Mewnian sky and all was once more plunged into the deepest black of night.

The entire group took a few moments for their eyes to adjust as they removed their hands and dared to open their eyelids to see what Beumont's spell had done. What exactly had become of the golden silhouette that stood before them moments before the light had engulfed them all. It was gone, well not gone exactly, but replaced with another figure.

He was tall, and stood proudly at the top of the well in a deep, black military uniform with much of it's regal finery removed but was a uniform unmistakably. On it's left arm was a patch, denoting a flag with a red sun, it's rays stretching to the edges of the flag on a black background. It was without a doubt to everyone within the room the flag of Helios. The very same flag that hung in tatters within their citadel.

He sported a pair of black trousers with crimson red strips running along the seams down to his boots, a leather pair of black combat boots which came up just above midway on his shins and had been equipped with a large metal plate on the outside of the toe cap which had been polished to glinting perfection.

He was handsome, short wave of jet black hair donning the top of his head. He was clean shaven and well presented not having the slightest blemish beyond a large scar which shot across his left eye. However within a few seconds, as Beumont watched in amazement, the scar began to glow with a golden light for only a few seconds and just like that, it was healed perfectly, shocking the mystic to his core.

The group, Beumont included cowtowed immediately, kneeling and bowing so low as so their foreheads touched the ground beneath them. The figure looked upon all of them with a confused expression on his face, he then took in his own body, observing his hands and his clothes with amazement and a shock that he had not felt in years. In a deep, calm voice he uttered in confusion "What fresh torture is this?".

Beumont overhearing this comment raised his head to look up at the man before him. "If I may, my lord" he asked and was given a nod by the figure for him to continue "It is no trick or torture. You have returned to us finally after so long" his head once more bowed to the floor as tears of joy began to drip down his face. "It is truly an honour to once more be within your grand presence and to see you returned to us as is your eternal right. Welcome back my most divine and grand sovereign, Lord Helvete"

**A/N: Beumont's plan has been fulfilled and Helvete it seems has returned to the living world. Just what will happen next and what lies ahead for Mewni? Until next time guys :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9-The Emperor Returns**

**Magic Sanctuary-Mewni**

Those gathered around the well of magic could not believe their eyes, it was simply too astonishing that such an event had taken place before them and that their former leader now stood before them once more, very much alive. None of them could muster up any words at first. They simply stood in awe as Helvete and Beumont stared each other down, Helvete with visible confusion and Beumont with an expression of shock and relief plastered across his old face.

Helvete himself looked around, trying to get a grasp of his surroundings. He noticed everyone around him was still cowtowed at his presence and almost as if by reflex uttered in a somewhat bored tone"You may all rise". Upon command all those in the room immediately rose to their feet and looked up towards their newly resurrected leader. Helvete however continued to study his whereabouts, trying to determine where he was. In one instant his surroundings had been...well...He did not like to think about what they had been, thoughts of that place were far too fresh in his mind to go back to. But one thing was for certain, he wasn't there anymore. His crimson red eyes then peered down towards Beumont, the old man still in shock from watching Helvete's scar disappear before his very eyes, he gave the old man a judgemental look. "What are you staring at Beumont?" he asked with a curious tone to his voice.

The old mystic pointed up towards his own eye, touching the same spot where Helvete's scar had once been on his own face. "It...it's your scar my lord.." the man stuttered nervously. For a second Helvete's eyes flashed red as his expression hardened into a harsh look towards the old man, clearly indicating that he should chose his next words carefully. "What about my scar?" he asked in a cruel tone, his voice clearly carrying a clear message of warning to the elderly man. Beumont bowed his head in respect before speaking "My lord it's...it's gone.." he uttered nervously.

Helvete was perplexed by the response "Gone?" he asked with a confused expression on his face as he felt for his scar around his eye. Needless to say he was even more confused when he could feel no sign of it on his face. His eyes widened for a moment and he turned to face the rest of those in the room, almost immediately he locked eyes with Sophia and pointed towards her. "Mirror! Now!" he commanded with urgency in his voice. Sophia without hesitation immediately reached into her pocket and threw a small foldable makeup mirror up towards Helvete, who caught it with ease and opened it up to gaze at his own face.

Whilst the former emperor gazed on himself, Verlock shot a curious look towards Sophia. She quickly noticed him staring at her and looked back with a harsh expression "You like what you see or something?" she asked, sarcasm heavy in her voice as she did so. Vermont scoffed at her attitude and turned away from her, looking back towards Helvete "Not in the slightest, just didn't think someone like you would have a makeup mirror" he spoke in a bored tone. He didn't have to look at her to see that the comment pissed her off, her fists clenched in anger towards the spymaster and she spoke through gritted teeth as she responded. "wow..really piling on the charm.." she then smiled with a sly grin "Explains why you've never been able to get a women into that sad little room of yours".

The scathing comment clearly hit it's mark and Verlock turned to her with a pure anger, as well as a light blush, on his face as he prepared to unleash a torrent of rage upon her. Before he could do so however, he was stopped in his tracks as he felt Helvete's piercing glare on the pair of them. They both looked up to see the emperor staring down both of them, a light crimson glow in his eyes as his expression displayed pure discontent at their conversation. Each of them bowed apologetically towards him, a look of fear coming across each of their faces much like children fearing a parent's punishment.

"Verlock" Came the stern voice from the well as Helvete called down to the spymaster causing the man to jump at the sudden call of his name. Verlock looked up towards him and nervously stammered "Y..Yes my lord?". Helvete's eyes glowed red for a second and he began to gently float off the ground. He floated gradually towards the spymaster, never for a moment taking his eyes off the man and seldom blinking as he did so. Once the resurrected tyrant touched down on the floor of the magic sanctuary, he extended his left hand outwards towards Verlock. "Your dagger" he commanded with that same stern, unforgiving look on his face as he awaited Verlock to hand over his weapon.

Verlock, somewhat reluctantly, draws his dagger from it's scabbard. The highly polished steel blade glinting as the light bounced off it. Once it was fully drawn, the spymaster knelt down before Helvete and offered the blade up to him as demanded. Helvete took possession of the simplistic weapon, almost displeased at how lazy it's design was in comparison to even the most typical of Helios weaponry. It was a simple dagger, nothing more nothing less, with a black handle which was leather-wrapped for additional grip and a polished, highly sharpened 10 inch blade which ended in a sharp, needle-like point.

"Thank you Verlock" Helvete remarked casually before grasping the handle of the blade tightly in his left hand. He then gently placed the sharp edge of the knife onto the palm of his right hand and before anyone could say anything to stop him, sliced cleanly into his palm leaving a deep gash across his hand which immediately began to bleed heavily. The entire room gasped at once in shock, Sophia immediately reached for a set of bandages but Helvete froze her with a look.

Verlock looked nearly faint as Helvete placed the now bloodied dagger back into the spymaster's hand. "My...my Lord...why?" He asked in a shocked and confused stammer, but Helvete glared down at him and simply responded with a stern "Quiet" before returning his attention to his bleeding wound. Blood was flowing at a steady rate from the cut and a small pool of it was now gathering on the floor of the magic sanctuary. However, within a few seconds the wound began to glow with a pale golden light, in the light of the glowing magic a sinister grin began to grow across Helvete's face as he watched his hand, a crimson glow in his eyes as he did so.

The others watched in amazement as the pale light in their leader's hand begins to fade and to their shock, the wound has vanished without a trace. Helvete's grin extends to a full smile as he begins to chuckle to himself. Quietly at first but his laughter grows and grows until he begins to laugh a cruel and sickening laugh which echoed off the halls of the sanctuary. The cruel laughter sent chills through all those who heard it and for a moment at least, there was no other noises aside from the laughter of the resurrected tyrant.

As his laughter died down he looked towards his companions "This is perfect" he uttered darkly as he looked upon each of them in turn, almost as if studying them and weighing up their strengths at a glance. "So tell me, how long have I been gone?" he asked the group, all of whom shifted nervously as noone wanted to break that bit of news no matter how necessary it might be. Eventually however Beumont, who had made it to the bottom of the well by now having been gradually making his way down this whole time, stepped closer to Helvete and spoke up.

"Two years my lord, much has changed in your absence I'm afraid, and little of it for the better" he said with a look of sadness on his face and a hint of shame in his voice, almost as if he blamed himself personally for what he now had to inform Helvete of. Helvete's eyes went wide for a moment "Two years? It's only been two years?" he said with surprise. Beumont picked up on something, just something slightly off in his voice when he said that, as if he had another reason for his surprise. But the old mystic was more than wise enough to not press the issue when it came to Helvete, instead he nodded and awaited Helvete's next question.

Helvete looked around once more "This place won't be the safest area to talk, it's too well known to the Butterfly Family" he concluded as he stepped towards Beumont and extended his hand once more. "Your dimensional scissors if you please?" he asked. The mystic nervously took the tattered and old pair of scissors out of his robes "Forgive me my lord but you're not going to try cutting yourself open again are you?" he asked somewhat hesitantly. Helvete chuckled "No no, that won't be necessary, however I am going to try something" he reassured the old man as the two exchanged the pair of worn scissors. Helvete frowned at sad looking pair of scissors in his palm.

"Honestly, A poorly crafted blade and now the most sorry looking excuse for a pair of scissors I've ever had the misfortune to witness" he scoffed in a disgusted tone. "Helios must be in dire straights indeed if this is what we're using now, but oh well...i Suppose they'll do" he accepts as he holds the scissors carefully in the palm of his hand. His eyes began to glow a deep crimson and a small red light glowed outwards from his hand as a deep red energy surrounded the pair of scissors in the tyrant's palm. The energy shifted and flickered almost like a small flame as Helvete looked focused, concentrating deeply as if fine tuning an instrument.

Beumont looked on in wonder as did the others as all of a sudden a series of crimson red markings became visible on the scissors. It was Mewnian writing, a single sentence of it which was inscribed perfectly onto one of the scissor blades. Helvete smiled wickedly "Ah, there it is, maybe this will work after all" he spoke with a sinister chuckle as the crimson lettering floated gently from the scissors and landed on the tyrant's left hand, fusing themselves with his skin and appearing as a bright red fresh branding.

Without their lettering, the scissors themselves crumbled into dust, carrying themselves through the air gently as the scissors were no more. Beumont stood shocked for a moment and just before he could say something, another voice interrupted him. "What the hell!?" the voice demanded causing everyone to turn in shock at who would dare speak towards Helvete in such a way, Helvete himself turned towards the sound with a disapproving look plastered across his features. The speaker was none other than Tyrius, the young lad now standing with his fists clenched in impatient anger "Now how're we supposed to get out of here?".

Helvete's eyebrow raised as he took a step closer to the teenager, Sophia quickly jumped in with a slightly panicked "Please my lord, he's a child and he doesn't know what he's doing, he gets impatient is all" she attempted to justify to the tyrant, but Helvete ignored her. All of his focus was now on Tyrius as he stepped closer until the two were face to face, Helvete looming over the boy with a definite height advantage, staring down at him through those soulless crimson eyes. Helvete studied the boy, who did not flinch despite a feeling of unease and cold that had suddenly washed over him just as the tyrant's eyes did.

"You, I do not recognise you" Helvete spoke in a dark, monotone voice as he looked down his nose at the lad. "It seems unusual that a total stranger would wish for my revival, who are you?" he inquired as Tyrius' expression continued to stare back at Helvete with a look of annoyance. He scoffed "I didn't care if you came back or not, I agreed to help so I could get revenge for my father" he said in a somewhat annoyed tone that he was having to explain himself, clearly not having any sense of who he was talking to. Helvete grinned widely "Oh?" he began with a sly tone in his voice "And who is this 'oh so important' father that you felt the need to resurrect me for?" he inquired, eyeing the boy's hooked blades with a knowing glare.

The boy clearly took offence at the mocking comment, his fingers twitching as if waiting to grab for his swords. "He was by your side throughout the entire war, and you don't even know his name!?" he yelled up in response, but this did little more than to make Helvete chuckle in amusement to the boy's anger. "Trust me child" he spoke with a deeper tone to his voice, the voice felt cold and emotionless, it was a voice that managed to freeze Tyrius as thoughts of drawing his weapons drew ever closer until that very moment. It was enough to freeze Tyrius in place, all thoughts of violence against Helvete suddenly vanished, replaced by fear, cold and icy like his soul had frozen over.

"I knew his name, those little toy swords of yours are a dead giveaway as to your identity" Helvete continued as Tyrius locked eyes with the crimson-eyed tyrant. In an instant the boy wished he hadn't, the eyes that returned his gaze seemed to penetrate his very soul and shook the teen to his core, it was as if the tyrant suddenly knew everything about the lad in a glance. The teen had never known fear like this until now, his body shook with fear as he attempted to glance around for any kind of assistance. Every single one of his companions were of no help however, all of them keeping their eyes down at the ground, subdued in their own fear of the tyrant who stood before them. Helvete's smile widened as he noticed Tyrius discovering the truth of things; Helvete not only had their respect and admiration, That was not enough, he possessed a total dominating control over each of them. As soon as this truth had made itself known to Tyrius knew that continued resistance would be a mistake. Still shaking in fear, he lowered his arms to his sides and opened his palms submissively, his eyes lowering until they stared down at the floor.

In an instant, Helvete smiled normally the crimson glow fading from his eyes and suddenly even the air itself felt lighter as the cold feeling vanished from Tyrius' soul, although the same could not be said about the feeling of fear as he looked up to Helvete who slapped the boy on the back. "You're Kahchi's son are you not?" The tyrant inquired to the stunned teenager, still unable to formulate a response to what had just happened as his mind could not seem to fathom the sudden shift in tone. "I...I Am, my lord" He replied with an unsteady voice, unable and unwilling to gaze into his eyes once again despite the overwhelming feeling of dread no longer occupying his body. Helvete patted the boy on the shoulder with a firm hand "Ah, it's good to see you've grown into a fine young man" he expressed with a smile "You remind me of him yknow, especially with those swords, I just hope you don't make the same mistakes which lead to his untimely demise" the cheerful voice of the tyrant was almost as unnerving as the demonic, horrifying voice he'd used before to threaten the boy. Tyrius couldn't pinpoint exactly where he stood anymore in Helvete's presence.

"Mistakes my lord?" he inquired nervously as he once more found the strength to look up and saw that, around the room everyone was now acting normally. It was as if nothing had happened. 'What is with this place?' Tyrius thought to himself as Helvete began to answer the teen's question. Helvete began to chuckle, as if hiding a secret or reliving an amusing memory, before he began to speak. "Oh, I'm sure you know all too well how he died?" he replied in a sly and knowing tone as he looked down his nose at the boy. Tyrius formed his hands into fists once more, suddenly finding his resolve again. "Marco Diaz..."He replied in a dark tone. Helvete nodded, a sickening grin still drawn across his features. "Well, I can see that convincing you of the necessity of that miserable Earthling's death will not be necessary" the tyrant spoke with a chuckle until a light bulb seemed to go off in his mind "Speaking of which..." He began as he turned to face the exit.

Helvete held out his left hand, palm facing towards the door and fingers outstretched. His eyes glowed with that much feared crimson light once more, however this time the newly formed Mewnian branding on his hand also began to glow as if it had been set aflame. "Citadel Arcturus, Kingdom of Helios" he spoke as the air in front of him tore open to form a glowing red portal with whipping orange flames surrounding the vortex of swirling crimson energy.

The group around him were amazed, none of them had ever seen a portal formed without a pair of Hekapoo's scissors. It was an astonishing sight to behold for all of them. Helvete however simply waved his arm "Come, all of you, Let me see what has become of my empire" he said with a slightly solemn tone to his voice as he finished that last sentence. The group nodded, and one by one they proceeded through the portal together.

**Dimension X-103**

To any outside observer, Dimension X-103 was a truly haunting and desolate looking place. One struggles to think of how any creature could survive here much less choose to call it a home if any other option was available. Its landscape was one of the most treacherous in the multiverse and only the strongest of creatures could survive within it, even then most not for long. Most of the land was barren and stripped of even the most base of necessities such as water, as a result most of the creatures that lived in this dimension subsisted on the blood of others to survive aside from a few dirty (and in most cases poisoned) pools of sickly swampwater.

Trying to rely on plant life for food was practically suicide as barely any existed and whatever plant life there was had adapted a large assortment of defences from being consumed. Trees in the afflicted forest which could launch lightning between their higher branches, vines that ensnared and constricted those who wandered too close, flowers which could swallow a man whole and digest him in mere minutes. All of these and more were the only plant life which was plentiful in this wasteland.

In the east lay the Neverzone, just as much barron and deadly as the rest of the inhospitable dimension, however this area was bone chillingly cold and home to mountain ranges that would put Everest to shame on Earth. Ghostly wraiths wandered the mountain tops and set upon any unfortunate wanderers they happen upon, leaving them as naught but husks upon the mountainside. Certainly Dimension X-103 was no place for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit.

That was perfectly fine by Hekapoo. The master of the dimensional gates was never one who cared for a ton of company, especially when she was working. The fact that she was more than strong enough to live here when few others could was, as far as she was concerned, a bonus when it came to a place to call her own. Here, in the stump of a long chopped down and destroyed tree in a forest of skeletons and ancient trees which haven't seen so much as a shred of greenery for centuries, was her home and workshop where she practised her unique craft.

She had attended the wedding, sure. But work was still, after all these millennia, a priority for her. Besides, it didn't matter how close she had gotten to the couple, a wedding was a wedding and she had attended hundreds of others just like it. She'd be there when they had heirs. she'd be there when those heirs found their own loves and married and the whole cycle would repeat over and over just as it had since Mewni was created. I guess you could say she was bored with the whole thing.

Routine, it was problematic for an immortal creation of magic such as herself. A lifetime for a Mewman, an Earthling or even a demon was little but a blink of the eye to her. In a short 70-80 years or so Marco and Star would be gone. She would not though. That was simply the way things were for her and all members of the magical high commission. Although, she had stayed longer than she thought she would. 'Gratitude I suppose' She thought as memories of two years ago flooded her mind. Memories of Helvete. She'd fallen for some awful men and admittedly had some strange tastes but wow, she'd certainly mistepped there and for that misstep she had happily stood by while Eclipsa was sealed away for 300 years. A fact that she certainly didn't take pride in even if the former queen said she had forgiven all of the commission members.

At any rate, work needed to be done and it was a welcome distraction from any problem she seemed to face. At least through work she could focus on things she could actually solve. She thought about this as Hekapoo finished forging yet another pair of scissors. These ones were fairly plain, a simple silver pair with a ruby coloured handle for a newly promoted knight in the Lucitor Union. She sighed as she plucked a feather from a nearby phoenix, the bird screeching in protest of having it's feather stolen and flying off in a foul mood. Hekapoo shrugged and turned back to the scissors now resting and beginning to cool off from their bath in the gigantic pool of bubbling and smoking molten metal that inhabited the centre of her workspace.

She took the phoenix feather into her right hand and dipped the quill into a small cup of golden liquid sitting on the desk nearby. As the liquid touched the quill the feather seemed to give off a small glow like a dim candle as she began to write a small sentence in Mewnian lettering across one of the scissor blades. Once the writing was complete she sighed and placed the scissors into a small wooden box, lined with a simple red fabric. She then wrote the knight's name at the top of the box and set it aside to be delivered in the morning.

'Should probably get some sleep anyway, long day tomorrow' she thought to herself as she walked around the bubbling pool of molten metal towards a pair of simple curtains that marked the entrance to her bedroom. Before she could get ready to go to sleep however, a strange beeping noise came from one of her desks. Puzzled she walked over to the desk in question. It was her monitoring station, a small screen from which she could monitor each and every portal opened anywhere across the multiverse. A small red light blinked on it, a dusty and rarely used alarm that was marked with "Unauthorised Portal Opening". She raised an eyebrow at the alarm. 'Not possible' she thought to herself as she tapped the screen attempting to locate the rouge portal and it's destination.

After a few moments she found it. It was an internal portal so this would be easy to find, but it was the two linked areas that disturbed the scissors enforcer. 'The Magic Sanctuary and Citadel Arcturus?' she thought, puzzled. Those places had no link to each other, only members of the Butterfly family ever used the Magic sanctuary and noone had been to that Citadel since the fall of Helios. Something wasn't right and she wouldn't be able to sleep without finding out what. At the snap of her fingers a bright orange portal emerged next to her and she immediately stepped through, a look of worry and concern on her face.

**Citadel Arcturus-The badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

The group emerged from the crimson portal and found themselves all once more in the presence of the grand abandoned citadel of a fallen empire. The group had been calling this place home for some time now and so were fully aware of just how far the place had fallen in recent years. Helvete however looked upon the place solemnly, memories seemed to invade his mind as he looked upon this once mighty fortress now crumbled. "A fitting metaphor I'd imagine" he uttered towards Beumont, the old mystic having taken a spot beside him, the wand grasped firmly in his left hand.

"A metaphor my lord?" Beumont asked curiously. Helvete rested his hand on the black stone of the outer wall, feeling as some of the stone dust came off of the building onto his hand. Helvete brushed the dust off his hand and turned to face the elderly mystic with what almost looked like a hurt look on his face. "My empire, I assume it is much like this citadel?" he uttered with a hollow tone in his voice "Abandoned, rejected and left to rot in the pages of history...". Beumont refused to see his leader in any sort of broken up state and decided that the taboo was worth breaking in this situation.

"Not while we live my lord!" he bellowed in as dramatic a fashion as the old man could muster causing Helvete to turn with surprise on his face at the mystic's sudden outburst. "My apologies for the interruption my lord but Helios is far from dead, her people still long for the days when the empire was the most powerful force Mewni had ever seen!" The old man spoke for the second time that day with the heart and soul of a much younger one, his zeal and enthusiasm surprising even Helvete. But for a moment the old man's confidence faltered "Although, they have been disheartened for the last two years my lord, Princess Tamia basically sold us out to the Lucitor's in the end even going so far as to merge the crowns".

Helvete stood in complete disbelief for a moment "She did what!?" he asked, not quite believing the old man's words. Beumont knew that it would be a mistake to lie with something as serious as this, he saw no other way than to simply re-tell his leader what had transpired over the last two years. "When you died my lord, the army was rapidly defeated. Many groups of loyalists continued to fight in pockets, but lacking ample leadership and with our new monarch...Princess Tamia...turned against us many were defeated and those that managed to survive were forced into hiding" The mystic recalled those events with a tremendous sadness he directed a hand towards each of the companions standing before Helvete.

His arm first fell upon Verlock "I found Verlock when I came to hide here in the first days, he was hold up with what remained of the guard having fallen back to a hidden dungeon when the Mewnian and Monster forces overran this citadel" The mystic moved his hand next over to Sophia and Tyrius. "We found Sophia and Tyrius during our first intelligence gathering operations, we had managed to form a small team using what remained of the guards which we fashioned into spies to help our cause, Sophia and Tyrius were in a small shack not too far from Butterfly Castle, both of them nursing wounds and emotional stresses"

The mystic commented next on Conaris, "He's in the basement of the citadel now but we found him sneaking his old drawings and designs out of the burned wreckage of the Grand Hall of Engineers" The mystic recalled with a small grin "Since we found him he's been engineering new ways to take revenge on our enemies once our plan to restore your rightful place was carried out. His mind for engineering is still second to none I assure you my lord".

Helvete smiled warmly at each of the group members and pat the old mystic on the shoulder with a small nod. "I can only thank you all for your proven loyalty to myself and to Helios, You will never be forgotten for this, Helios has always looked after it's friends after all let us all remember that!" He uttered, some of his confidence once more restored as he addressed his small band of loyalists who all nodded in understanding, smiles beginning to adorn their faces.

"Now then, I know that you're all as eager as me to get revenge on those miserable parasites that sent us screaming into the abyss and left our empire as nothing more than some, cheap historical footnote!" he spoke with venom in his voice as he pictured each of his enemies faces vividly in his mind. Along with a significant amount of horrible and disturbing things he'd like to personally do to each of them for making him suffer for all this time in...that Place.

He held up his left hand, index finger extended as to make a point. "However, even as strong as you all are, the royal wand in our possession and my new found powers. We stand only a small chance and those who remember me well know that I don't deal in chances, I deal in certainties." he emphasised before continuing. "So, our first plan of action is to liberate the kingdom from the grip of that Lucitor scum!" he turned to Verlock "Spymaster, I trust you to locate our former villages and towns. We shall visit each of them personally, where is the closest to this citadel?"

Verlock bowed low before Helvete and smiled as he took out his little black notebook from his jacket pocket, flipping through it quickly before his finger settled on a page. "It goes under the Lucitor name 'Libertaris' But it's true name is 'Kilead' it's citizens once mined the great quarries just north of here but now are simply reduced to farmers and labourers for the Lucitor Union" He confirmed as he snapped the book shut and placed it back into the inner pocket of his slim black jacket.

"Well then, I suppose that should be our first.." Helvete was interrupted by the noise of a portal opening nearby. The entire group turned to face the noise in an instant. Tyrius and Verlock drew their weapons, Sophia took her place close to Helvete and raised her fists ready to fight. Beumont opened up his tome which he was still carrying and directed the wand towards the breach. Helvete simply turned and awaited the arrival of their intruder, an excited crimson glow in his eyes as he prepared for what could be the first decent fight he'd had in what felt like a millennium.

Out of the bright orange portal emerged a pale skinned women in a fiery orange dress. Her crimson red hair hanging down her back with a pair of large orange horns rising out from the top of it. A bright orange flame burned between them topping what appeared to be a black tiara at the top of her head. In each hand she carried each half of a pair of scissors, holding them like a pair of daggers. At sight of her despite his position at the back of the group, Helvete's expression widened into one of sadistic glee, the crimson glow in his eyes grew brighter at the sight and his fingers twitched with anticipation.

"Well, well, well...It's certainly been a long time hasn't it H-Poo?" he uttered in a confident and sly voice, barely disguising his sinister intentions. Hekapoo faced the group and narrowed her eyes "Okay, two things; Number one, Which one of you opened the rogue portal? And number two..." She held up one of the scissor blades and pointed it at the group as to threaten them "..Which one of you just called me H-poo!?" she uttered darkly with anger clear in her voice at the nickname she hated.

"Oh..." Helvete spoke with a chuckle as he made his way to the front of the group, a smile on his lips and his crimson eyes locking with Hekapoo's. The Scissors Enforcer froze immediately at the sight of him, her voice mumbling as she shook in place "no...no no no no..." She stuttered, unable to say much else at the sight of the tyrant as he showed himself off like he had just put on a brand new coat, arms outstretched and with a slight bow as his sinister grin grew further across his features. "Well, the answer to both questions would be me H-poo, Let's catch up shall we?".

**A/N: Helvete's plans are laid bare but before he can begin it seems he has to deal with Hekapoo. How will the Scissor Enforcer deal with the newly ressurected tyrant? Until next time guys :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- Where's the wand?**

**Citadel Arcturus-The Badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

"You're supposed to be dead". Hekapoo's voice filled the air with a mixture of fear and surprise that was more than apparent on her face as she stared in horror at the man who stared back towards her. It was...impossible, there was just no way he was stood there. But as much as Hekapoo tried to deny what was in front of her she couldn't deny the feeling of dread inside her. The air felt heavy, thick and hot to the point of boiling around her, those eyes that stared back at hers with a crimson glow behind them were the same as the ones in her deepest nightmares.

Helvete chuckled at her words "Now now Hekapoo, that's not a very nice thing to say" he mocked with an amused expression on his face. Hekapoo's expression shifted to anger at just how cocky he seemed to be. "Just how did you come back anyway?" she demanded to know causing Helvete to pause as he tried to figure out the answer for himself. He shrugged casually "Well now, that's actually a good question" he remarked before turning towards Beumont, the old mystic stood close by to the tyrant with the wand and his ancient tome at the ready should Hekapoo try anything.

"How exactly did you bring me back Beumont?" Helvete asked with a curious look on his face "You told me it involved the wand but.." Hekapoo instantly reacted to this and interrupted Helvete's question with her own outburst. "The wand!?" she yelled urgently, drawing looks from all those gathered. Helvete gave her a glance and a cruel grin as he pointed towards the staff in the old man's hand. Hekapoo glanced towards the old man, studying him for a moment before her eyes went wide with realisation of two facts. The first being that the staff, while a drastic change from the wand which Star wielded, was unquestionably the royal wand of Mewni.

The second she shouted as an accusation towards the old man "You're that geezer that Ponyhead brought to the wedding!" she yelled while pointing a finger towards Beumont. The old man just chuckled wickedly "Guilty as charged, it truly was lovely, but I wasn't there for the cake if you take my meaning" he said with a sinister grin crossing his lips. Helvete turned to look at Beumont with an eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Wedding?" he asked the mystic who cleared his throat awkwardly at the question. "Errm, yes my lord in order to secure the wand I errm..well had to attend the wedding of Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz" the old man awkwardly explained.

Helvete shrugged "Huh, well I suppose there's no harm...that's gonna be a real interesting situation when they show up" he reasoned with a grin before turning his attention back to Hekapoo. "Now then, where were we?" he asked, a cruel and twisted smile returning to his lips as he eyed the red-haired women before him. Hekapoo scoffed and drew two halves of a pair of scissors, using them much like one would hold a pair of daggers. "Just about to send you back to hell and then have your buddies locked in a crystal" she answered as she multiplied again and again until there was a practical army of her clones surrounding the small group.

Each of the group members got ready to fight but Helvete held up an arm to stop them. "There will be no need for that" he uttered darkly as he stretched out his arms, rolling his shoulders as if warming up even as the rest of the group stared at him in shock. Sophia was first to protest "But my lord please, to fight alongside you again would be..." But she was stopped as Helvete turned with a small chuckle, his eyes glowing with a gentle crimson light. "I know dear Sophia, I know...But you will get your chance in time" he reassured her with a wink before turning back towards Hekapoo.

"I estimate that being dead for two years has made my body soft and stiff" he started as he took a step closer to her army of clones which all eyed him with fierce anger in their eyes. His own eyes glanced across all of them, as if studying each of them and making minor calculations to himself, he then chuckled once more. "Dealing with H-Poo should be a prime warm up for me" he mocked as he gestured for Heckapoo to attack him.

"Overconfident bastard" Hekapoo flared as she and her clones each charged the group, Scissors held high as they prepared to fight the tyrant head on. Helvete stood for a moment, watching the charge with an amused look on his face. He then took a deep inhale of breath through his nose, his nostrils flaring as they took in as much air as his lungs could take. Once he was sure he couldn't breathe in anymore, his crimson eyes flashed brightly and he blew outwards, exhaling all of the air he'd taken in at once. Hekapoo's charge was met with a wind that struck like a hurricane which smashed against Hekapoo's line of clones, instantly snuffing each of their flames and poofing all but the original Hekapoo out of existence.

Hekapoo stood stunned for a few moment, alone in a field once occupied by her hundreds of clones now literally blown out of existence in an instant. She gritted her teeth as she looked towards the smug expression on Helvete's face as he stood amused at her attack. "You know..." he began with a confident smile on his lips "You probably should've tried that attack on someone who didn't know your clones die when their flames are snuffed" he mocked as he crushed a small flame he'd made in the palm of his hand.

Hekapoo scowled and yelled back in response "Yeah!? Well try this!" before suddenly opening a portal and leaping through it, vanishing in an instant. Helvete sighed and made himself ready to be attacked, he knew for a fact it was coming. Now it was just a matter of predicting her movements. The tyrant let his mind go to work, calculating his opponent's method of attack in his mind's eye. 'Let's see, she fights with preference to her left hand so she'll attack from the right, she'll also want a strong route of attack so above or below would be preferable, so if it were me I would go with...' Helvete then opened his palm and faced it just up and to the right of his head.

As predicted an orange portal slashed itself open before his eyes and immediately in front of his eyes. A sickening grin shot across his features as he watched Hekapoo's form come through it, a look of shock and horror on her face as she realised the peril she was in. Helvete's hand quickly gripped her neck hard, as he slammed her hard against the ground and leaned over her form with glowing crimson eyes which were filled with dreadful intent and cruel ecstasy as his form loomed over hers. Hekapoo gripped at her neck as she gasped for air, all of the air in her lungs previously having been forced out by the sudden impact with the solid ground.

She opened her eyes to witness a horrifying pair of glowing crimson ones staring back at her, immediately a sense of dread flowed through her body as those dark pupils reflected a world of pain and devastation into her very soul. She felt his grip tighten around her neck and immediately her hands shot up to attempt to pry away his grip, to no avail as the tyrant pressed his weight down onto her airway, cutting it off and starving her body of precious oxygen. "Now then H-Poo.." Helvete mocked in a low tone as his teeth bared in a ruthless grin "You got any more tricks to show me?".

Hekapoo felt her brain scream for oxygen as she pried helplessly at the tyrant's hand in a vain attempt to loosen his grip. This was now or never and she only had one thing she could try, but dammit she really didn't want to. "Just...one.." she struggled out before her eyes glowed a bright orange, her entire body began to increase in temperature rapidly shooting upwards of 1000 degrees in mere seconds. She pressed her hands against the tyrant's chest and struggled out the words of her most powerful spell. "Ignesco" she struggled out and a huge blast of flames erupted from the palms of her hands point blank into Helvete's body.

The shockwave rocked the ground beneath the pair and the citadel behind them shook as it's old and unloved walls took the brunt of the horrendous flames. Their black stone did not show it easily but one could distinguish a thick layer of soot which formed on the surface of the outer walls as the flames licked at them. The group of Helvete's loyalists shielded their eyes from the light of the flames, all except for Beumont who shouted for his leader as he watched the flames slowly fade out around a large crater which had formed around Helvete and Hekapoo's positions.

The loyalists stood in shock as they once more returned their vision to the sight, astonished at what greeted their eyes once they did. Hekapoo and Helvete's position hadn't changed in the slightest, aside from the fact that Helvete was laughing loudly and with a menacing look in his eyes as his hand remained firmly around Hekapoo's neck. Hekapoo's eyes went wide as she realised just how fruitless her effort had been. Helvete's clothing was singed and small patches of it had burned away in the flames but ultimately the man himself hadn't been even so much as phased by the assault.

Hekapoo felt her eyes begin to roll in her skull as the lack of oxygen combined with the exhaustion from such a powerful do or die attack took effect. "Ah, a valiant effort H-Poo, but unfortunately it seems it was not enough" he said as he tightened his grip further "Sleep now, don't worry, you'll wake up I promise" he soothed with a cocky tone to his voice as Hekapoo's resistance finally caved and her consciousness faded. As soon as it did, Helvete released her from his grip not wanting to actually let her die just yet.

"Well, that was fun H-Poo although I had hoped you'd be much more of a warm up" he remarked coldly as he stretched his body out from the fight, raising his arms up as high as they'd reach and twisting his midsection slightly trying to loosen up his muscles. "Honestly it's scarcely more energetic than getting out of bed in the morning" he mumbled with a strain of disappointment in his voice as he looked down at the unconscious body of his opponent.

The tyrant stood over the fallen body of the commission member, victorious in the short and extremely one-sided battle. He once more directed his gaze towards his group of loyalists, who were still standing in surprise at the short display of the tyrant's power and combat ability. Hekapoo by all means was not a weak opponent, she was easily one of the stronger commission members and Helvete had defeated her like she had been nothing. It was beyond incredible for them all to see. Helvete however picked up Hekapoo and slung her lifeless body over his shoulder before turning towards the group. "Come now all of you, it's best to restrain a prisoner before they wake up" he spoke very matter of factly as he made his way towards the towering black fortress once more.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

Dawn broke in the Butterfly Kingdom, the purple skies suddenly set ablaze by the orange light of the rising sun over the hilltops of the kingdom's borders. After the exultation, laughter, joy and tremendous celebration of a royal marriage and coronation it was little wonder that there were scarce bodies drifting through the streets compared to normal. A merchant here and there along with the changeover for the morning guards were all that could really be seen. Most of the kingdom had basically accepted an unannounced day off which was required for most to treat the horrendous hangovers that many experienced after one of the largest nights of drinking and merriment the kingdom had seen in years.

In Marco's room, the bedsheets stirred as a blonde haired beauty awoke first from the gentle slumber that the young couple had shared. Well, that wasn't all they'd shared, the thought bringing a small pink glow to Star's hearts as she looked to her side and saw a small tossled head of brown hair covering the face of her husband. She stifled a small giggle as she gently pushed the hair out away from his face so she could better see him sleep.

He shifted slightly at her touch, rolling over onto his side so that he faced where she lay. Star looked over to her small, portable mirror to check the time. It was just after 9AM, around an hour after she usually woke up in the morning. She shrugged to herself 'I guess that's enough of a lie in...especially for him' she thought with a mischievous grin drawing across her lips as she leaned in towards Marco's sleeping face. "Marco...time to get up" she cooed as she placed a gentle kiss on his exposed cheek, just barely on the corner of his lips.

Marco stirred, a small murmur escaping his lips as he shuffled his body in the sheets. His brain still resisting the urge to wake his body from it's slumber. Star couldn't help but giggle at him as he clearly resisted a gentle method. 'Oh well, he brought this on himself' she thought mischievously as she stepped down onto the cold marble flooring beneath the bed, making her shiver slightly as she made contact. She turned to face Marco once more and sighed quietly before she breathed deeply and shouted "Morning Marccooo!" came her cheerful voice causing Marco to jump in surprise from the sheets, his eyes wide from the sudden awakening.

Marco looked up into the cheerful ocean-blue eyes and giggling smirk of his beloved. 'Of course, should've known' he thought as he rolled his eyes and smiled back up to her. "Morning Star" he greeted with chuckle as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "You sleep well?" he asked as he stood up from the bed and wrapped his arms around her slim figure. Star giggled and wrapped her own arms around the back of Marco's neck "Always sleep well next to you Marco" she teases, placing a small kiss onto his lips. They linger for a moment before separating with wide smiles across their faces "So, you ready for your first day as queen?" Marco asks, his tone giving away some of his own nervousness at the whole ordeal.

Star could immediately sense her husband's nerves and took his hand into her own, squeezing it gently and smiling up at him with her shimmering pale blue eyes gazing into his hazel ones. "Marco, we've been doing this job for years already, we just happen to be called something different now" she assured him before planting a small kiss to his left cheek. "It's gonna be fine okay, we've got each other and that's more than enough" she asked before turning to walk towards the bathroom door in the corner of the room. As she reached the doorframe she paused and shot a flirtatious look towards her husband, who stood in the corner of the room watching her with a strangely content smile on his lips. "Well, until the heirs are born anyway" she teased with a wink causing the young king's face to flush red with embarrassment. "S..Star!" he protested but his voice was only met with giggling from the blonde girl as she closed the door behind her.

Elsewhere in the castle, guards were making their rounds. Each of the castle guards were stationed in specific locations to monitor the hallways and react to emergencies. The castle guard changes occurred roughly every six hours or so to avoid fatigue in the guards and to give them ample time to rest and relax off duty. Two guards, freshly rested and with a full stomach from breakfast, made their way down the halls towards Star's room. Their swords gently clattered as they tapped rhythmically against their sides with their footsteps as they inspected the hall for any irregularities or changes on their way.

As they drew around the corner and spotted the doorway, an odd sight struck them immediately. Noone was there. Normally there would be someone waiting patiently for them to arrive so that they could head to bed, but in this case the hallway and door to Star's room was left open. Though the door itself was closed. One guard turned to his companion "We're not relieving Williamson and Tucker are we?" he asked with a sigh "Guys never sticks to their damn post how are they still in the guards?" he grumbles as he goes to take up his position at the door. His companion grips his arm and stops him however with a troubled look on his face.

"Williamson and Tucker had the night off, something's not right" he mumbles as he reaches his hand cautiously towards the handle of his sword. "Take a look around and ensure the Queen isn't in her room" he orders as they begin to scan the area around the room's entrance for anything suspicious. One of them knocks gently at first onto the door of Star's room to be met with zero response. He cautiously knocked a little louder and called through the door with a nervous tone in case he had woken the new queen rather rudely. "Your majesty, my sincerest apologies but we found your room unguarded, are you okay?" he asked but was yet again met with zero response.

Just as the guard was resolved to intrude on the Queen's room, both of them heard a shuffling noise from a nearby cleaning cupboard. Both of them immediately focused onto it before glancing at one another cautiously. The guard closest to the door nodded to the other and they both drew their weapons simultaneously and as silently as possible. One of them placed his hand on the doorknob and awaited the other's signal. The guard who wasn't waiting by the door made ready just next to the door, aiming the tip of his blade right where the door would open, he then nodded to his companion who turned the doorknob and in a rapid movement flung the door wide open.

In a flash the guard who had been ready with his weapon now burst through the opening in the door and pointed the tip of his blade directly towards the person they had found. Both guards gasped in shock at the sight however and quickly recoiled their blades when they saw the face of their 'intruder'. "Dawes? Is that you?" one of the guards asked to the delirious and groggy looking man who was lying clumsily in a mess of cleaning supplies.

Dawes rubbed his eyes and placed his hand to his forehead. His head was throbbing in pain and it felt like he'd been asleep for a thousand years. The voices of the guards calling his name were muffled and distant, as if they were being shouted across a valley toward him. The light of the hallways blinded him in an instant with the sudden and intense light and he could only make out vague silhouettes of the people before him.

"I...what happened?" he called out with a weary voice, cracking under his own exhaustion. The two guards quickly rushed to his side to help him to his feet, he was mostly dead weight however and they struggled to move him from the closet onto a nearby chair. Laying him in the chair, one guard looked towards the other. "You go and check the Queen's room, we have to be sure she's okay" he ordered as he pointed towards the door. The other guard nodded and rushed to the door, knocking once more "Your majesty? We're coming in!" he yelled through the wood of the solid door before turning the knob and rushing in, sword drawn in case of intruders.

Star's room was devoid of life, the bed made neatly and surprisingly there was not a single thing which looked like it had been disturbed. The guard scanned the room with a puzzled look before calling back to his companion. "Room Clear! The Queen isn't in here!" he called back into the hallway. His companion immediately stood from helping Dawes, his face an expression of shock as he heard the guard's words. "What? The Queen isn't in there? We have to..." He was cut off as Dawes gripped his sleeve weakly, tugging on it to get the guard's attention. "Didn't...stay..." he spoke deliriously as his senses still tormented him.

"What is it Dawes?" the guard asked his friend with concern "What are you trying to say?" he implored him as he attempted to gently shake the incoherent thoughts out of the man's head. Dawes tried desperately to grasp reality for even a moment so that he could tell the guard what he could remember. "Queen, never stayed in her room...boy broke in..name was...Kahchi...Helios" was all he could muster before he once more collapsed into the chair. The guard checked him over, breathing but unconscious.

"We have to get him to the doctors, and report this to the Queen immediately" the guard said to his friend, who nodded as they each took an arm of the unconscious guard and carefully dragged his body down the hall to the infirmary.

**Citadel Arcturus-The Badlands-Grand Lucitor Union**

It was a dark and horribly bleak room that greeted Hekapoo when she finally woke up. The walls crafted from blackened stone which had been left in disrepair for some time now, a steady stream of water which dripped in from god knows where had by now left a thin layer of moss down one of the walls near where she lay. She herself lay chained to the wall on a hard slab which just about barely resembled a bed if you really stretch your imagination.

A worrying thought came to Hekapoo's head 'Why couldn't she see anything? Her flame should be...' As she felt up for the flame that usually burned brightly over her head she stopped. It was gone. Usually this wouldn't be much of an issue, she could re-ignite it at will after all, but no matter how much she concentrated she simply couldn't seem to get it to ignite. What the heck was going on here anyway? Her mind raced at every possibility until she heard a loud snapping sound in the darkness of the room. As the snap sounded a small flame suddenly burst into life in a small, rusted brazier in the corner of the room.

"Must be odd, like losing something precious to you" a voice came from across the room "Of course..." Came the voice again before the owner of it revealed himself, coming into the light of the fire so Hekapoo could once again see his face "..I'd know a thing or two about that" he finished with a grim expression on his face. His crimson eyes stared daggers into Hekapoo's, once more she felt fear especially when these chains still bound her to the wall of this dingy little cell.

She scoffed at his comment "As if you would, you don't care about anyone but yourself" she uttered back, a strange look of hurt on her face as she did so. Helvete was rather taken aback by her comment, not exactly expecting a meaningful conversation out of his captive. He chuckled to himself and took a seat on the stone slab which served as a bed his eyes never leaving Hekapoo's. "An easy thing to assume by a women scorned" he replied as he relaxed slightly into the uncomfortable seat.

Hekapoo took immediate offence to his response and stared furiously towards him "A women scorned? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" she spat towards the tyrant with a sudden defiant attitude which surprised even her in this situation. Helvete just laughed for a few moments, wiping a small humoured tear from his eye once he had quite finished. "You always were good for a laugh H-poo, you know that?" he replied before his face turned to a cocky and self-assured expression for a moment "We both know that you had fallen for my charms that night so long ago, I mean...it was part of the plan after all" he remarked as thoughts of the past quickly flooded Hekapoo's mind.

Hekapoo looked down, ashamed at thoughts of that night. He wasn't wrong after all, she had been weak, his charm had worked so well that she'd gotten Eclipsa frozen in a crystal for 300 years. It wasn't a proud memory. Helvete reached a hand forward, causing Hekapoo to flinch back as far as she could but it didn't stop the tyrant from cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand. It felt warm, his skin was strangely soft for someone who had fought endless wars for so many years. "Oh dear Hekapoo, I do hope you didn't think I actually loved you?" he enquired with a wicked chuckle in his voice.

Try as she might, Hekapoo couldn't stop a small tear forming in one of her eyes. She looked away from the tyrant to stop him seeing but Helvete was all too aware of her emotions and he took a twisted pleasure from seeing them on display. "I don't know why you're surprised, noone's ever loved you before, so why did you think I would?" he mocked her as his hand removed itself from her face. Hekapoo shook the tear from her eye and spat under her breath "Cruel bastard...you should've rotted in that dimension".

Helvete chuckled "My my, what a hurtful comment, it's almost like you think I'm heartless or something? Do I seem heartless to you?" he asked her, by now she had turned her head downwards as if all the thoughts of the past brought out some feeling of shame within her. "You slaughtered thousands, that seems pretty uncaring to me" came her monotone reply to his question. Helvete just chuckled at her reply "I suppose it would seem that way to you, but who really suffered? Some mindless birds? King Ponyhead?...well..." he paused with a cruel grin adorning his lips "I suppose Queen Moon suffered in the end, how is she by the way?" the last question rolling off his tongue with a fained expression of concern for the queen he had so cruelly tortured.

"The second I get out of these chains you'll know exactly how much she suffered" Hekapoo hissed as she struggled against her restraints, attempting desperately to summon up any of her powers. Nothing seemed to work, she couldn't summon portals, clone herself, even her pyrokinesis was gone. It seemed unreal to her and all the while through her efforts, Helvete's laughter at her filled the room. "You really think it'd be that easy?" he asked as he wiped a small laughter fuelled tear from his eye. Hekapoo glared at him, incensed at how amusing he seemed to find her struggle.

"I mean really, you think I'm the kind've guy that would underestimate a member of the magic high commission? Do I look like that kind've guy to you Hekapoo?" he asked with a wicked grin drawing across his features as he tugged lightly at one of the chains clasped firmly to Hekapoo's right arm. "I'm sure you remember that Helios is famed for it's rare alloys, manufacturing and machinery?" he asked with a slightly more serious tone this time. Hekapoo nodded "What's your point?".

Helvete smirked and tapped at the chain "Draining crystals, I'm sure you remember those curious little gems?" he teased as he watched Hekapoo's eyes go wide with worry. She immediately knew that he'd about this well. "But personally what I enjoy most about them, is something that you're about to experience" as he said this his eyes flashed with a bright and cruel crimson light for a couple of seconds as his smile grew ever so slightly too wide for Hekapoo's liking. Immediately she felt her nerves begin to soar as the tyrant's gaze ran over her. "What are you talking about?" she responded with a harsh tone, trying hard to disguise her nervousness and fear at the tyrant's next move.

"Well my dear H-Poo, when a magic user is exposed to draining crystals they will lose their abilities for the duration while the crystals feed on their magical energy as you well know..." he began very matter of factly. Hekapoo nodded cautiously, wondering where he was going with this exactly. "But you, well you're entirely composed from magic" His eyes began to glow with that sinister crimson light once more, appearing like beacons in the relative darkness of the dingy cell. "Do you know how painful it'll be as these chains slowly leech away at your mind, body, soul...well everything really... until eventually...well do you have any idea?" he enquired with a sinister tone as he seemed to grin in anticipation.

He once more ran his hand across her cheek, gently stroking it as she flinched back in an attempt to avoid his touch. "Now I'm sure neither of us want you to suffer such a horrific fate do we?" he asked as he turned her head so that she was looking directly into his deep, crimson eyes behind which lay a world of malice and horrifying thoughts and powers which even struck fear into Hekapoo. She gulped and unsteadily asked "W..What do you want?" with a sense of dread as thoughts of what this evil man would demand of her ran through her mind, each thought more horrible to bear than the last.

"Oh it's really nothing you couldn't do in your sleep, I simply need your half of the spell" he said with a sincere charm once more returning to his voice as he pointed towards the Mewnian writing which had been fused into Hekapoo's skin on the back of her left hand. She looked towards the writing, the spell which gave her the ability to control all portal travel in the multiverse. A spell which had been inscribed on her by Glossaryck himself when he created her all those hundreds of thousands of years ago.

She clenched her fists tightly and looked up into Helvete's eyes defiantly. "Never" she answered, a clear sense of resolve in her voice as she awaited what she expected to be a harsh punishment for her answer. Instead she was surprised as Helvete sighed to himself and got up to walk towards the doorway of her cell. "Have it your way, don't blame me if you regret it" he said with a shrug as he opened the doorway before pausing "Although, I suppose you won't live very long to regret it" he remarked with a chuckle, snuffing the brazier with a snap of his fingers as he left. Outside the door he turned to someone that Hekapoo couldn't quite see through the darkness. "No food or water for the next 24 hours, a half slice of bread and small cup of water in 8 hour intervals after that" Helvete ordered to the obscure individual before turning around to once more look Hekapoo in the eyes.

"I'll be back in a day or so, in the meantime..." he grinned cruelly once more "Well..I hope for your sake you've a high pain tolerance" he finished before slamming the heavy iron door shut and the locks of her cell slammed home, leaving Hekapoo once more alone in the darkness and cold of her prison.

**Butterfly Castle-Butterfly Kingdom**

The atmosphere was tense in the Butterfly Kingdom, crowds had been forced off the streets as troops were given orders to lock down the city. Rumours of the loss of the royal wand had begun as whispers between the houses as soldiers patrolled the streets for stragglers. Through the windows wherever they could all the citizens looked towards the castle. Guests under full military guard came flocking in one by one. The entire magical high commission began to arrive, although few noticed that Hekapoo wasn't among them. Each of the commission members looked nervous and Rhombulus especially looked petrified as he walked into the castle, carefully carrying a crystal ball containing the image of omnitraxus prime.

The citizens attention was drawn away however as criers, dressed in their long red and black coats with golden buttons and sporting hats with a myriad of gloriously coloured feathers atop their heads, marched through the streets, ringing shimmering golden bells and calling loudly for the attention of all they passed as they relayed an urgent message from the castle. "Attention, all citizens, Attention!" came the cry from a nearby crier as he passed by main street. "By supreme authority of Queen Star Butterfly; All homes are subject to immediate and thorough search by troops who will make their way through shortly, any resistance to the search will be met with detainment!" the order came to the mixed murmurs of those within houses and sealed up shops which littered the kingdom's capital.

'What was going on!?', 'Why are we being searched!?' , 'Queen Moon would've never done anything like this!' came the random and angry shouts from windows in the street as certain citizens showed off their objection to this forced and random search of their property. Some began to barricade their doors as a form of protest as they spotted squadrons of soldiers in full plate armour marching down the streets towards their houses.

In most cases the citizens relented to the search and opened their doors without resistance towards the soldiers. The troops would then begin a thorough search of the entire property. Every pot, cupboard, desk, drawer, wardrobe and biscuit tin was searched for even the slightest trace of the wand. When nothing turned up the troops interviewed the occupants and then moved onto the next house without much of a word about the affair.

In other cases where disgruntled citizens refused the troops entry or even went as far as to barricade their homes to prevent access, the troops actions were much more harsh. Using brute force along with large steel cylinders to bash down the doorways to insubordinate homes and rushing to detain the inhabitants, locking them in cuffs and placing them under armed guard before turning the house upside down. When nothing was found the citizens who resisted were brought to the barracks for questioning.

As the army carried out the grand search of the city, the castle was experiencing it's own form of chaos. The guards searched every room and every closet and even the most disgusting areas of the castle with men having to pick through the rubbish and inspect the sewage pipes of the castle for any sign of the wand. Meanwhile other guards, arguably the lucky ones, only had to ensure that noone interrupted the emergency meeting being held within the castle.

The meeting's participants had been summoned at immediate notice, so naturally few of them had taken the time to prepare in even the most basic areas, luckily for them noone was exactly sweating the finer details at the moment and they all managed to make their way to the castle within a couple of hours of the summons going out. In a sense it was lucky the wedding had occurred yesterday, if not then many would be much further away by the time they had been summoned.

The meeting room was quite plain, a simplistic room with minimal decoration and a large oval shaped oak table which sat in the centre with ample seating for around 25 people, in this case it was nearly full to capacity when you included the junior officers that some of the generals had brought with them as scribes. This was arguably the most high profile a meeting that you could get in Mewni with many of the major names being present.

Marco and Star were obviously at the forefront having called the meeting in the first place and each of them looking white as sheets from the news they had just heard and now had to deliver to the rest of the confused looking individuals in the room alongside them. To the royal couple's immediate left sat Tom and Tamia, the pair having been freshly woken in their room by the soldiers storming through the hallways. Needless to say they were feeling a little grouchy from the rude awakening.

To the right were sat River and Moon who were looking just as concerned as everyone else, although Moon was a lot more focused as it seems River and Globgor hadn't fully recovered from their ill advised drinking competition last night, each of them maintained they had won despite various other telling them they had passed out at the same time. Globgor and Eclipsa were also present for the meeting being seated alongside River and Moon, opposite them was Ponyhead and the Magic High Commission with Omnitraxis prime being positioned in the centre of the table in his crystal ball.

Finally, the highest generals of the Mewnian army and Higgs, the new head of the Skylords, had also turned up and by her side as per usual was the now Senior Squire Potemkin, the two having been inseparable since Higgs had taken the boy on as her own squire. The two were sat chatting amongst themselves, Higgs giggling to herself as Potemkin subtly pointed towards one of the older and balding generals with a smirk.

Star and Marco gave each other a worried look, They hugged quickly before Star broke the contact to begin the meeting. "I'm not going to lie to you all, if the situation is what we suspect then it's serious" Star began attempting to hide her nerves through a strong sounding voice as the room fell silent to listen to her words. "Marco will fill you in on the details that we know for now" she said as she gestured towards her husband who now stood at the head of the table.

Marco stepped up and began talking immediately, mostly directing his eyes towards the generals who's faces of concern were arguably the most serious in the room. "The royal wand is missing, stolen it seems during the celebrations last night" Marco came right out with it, not mincing words as sugarcoating the truth would only delay them. The gathered crowd gasped in shock and murmured amongst each other, this news was some of the most terrible that Mewni could experience and Marco knew there was still more to tell.

"This morning when making their handovers, two of the guards found one of the guards outside of Star's room passed out in one of the cleaning cupboards, the castle doctors found that he'd been drugged with a powerful sleeping agent" Marco reported, trying his best to keep as calm as he could even amongst the horrendous news and his own mind racing to find a solution to what had happened and who would take the royal wand, because the person he heard it was...well it couldn't be true...could it?

Tom interjected quickly with a serious tone to his voice "Who did it Marco?" he asked towards his friend with many of the others at the table nodding their heads and murmuring about needing the same answer. Marco sighed "The guard is still unconscious, but he was able to tell us two things the intruder said to him, two words only; Kahchi and Helios" came the solemn reply from Marco as the crowd once more gasped in horror. None looked more horrified than Tom and Tamia who both went white as sheets as the shock took over.

"But..that's impossible...Kahchi is dead we killed him Marco" Tom stammered with a look of sheer disbelief on his face. Marco nodded "I know we did, But that name alongside Helios is too much to just be a coincidence" he remarked to his friend before turning back towards the crowd. "We know that smaller groups of loyalists to Helios still exist, but until now they've only ever caused problems in their former territories; bombings, kidnappings and industrial sabotage for the most part, this time it seems one of them got organised enough to steal the wand, for what purpose we don't know" he informed them as he directed their attention to a small map of the former Helios territories.

Tamia interjected as Marco finished speaking "Helvete trained fanaticism in his citizens, we've had to put extensive security measures and sizeable garrisons in place just to maintain some semblance of order there" she said with some disgust in her voice as was always present when the topic of her father came up. Tom placed his hand atop hers and squeezed lightly, reassuring her he was there.

Moon rolled her eyes and spoke up with a sarcastic, if not slightly solemn tone. "Yes well, we all know just how cruel that man could be, it isn't surprising his cruelty would find some way to carry on even in death". River's eyes turned sad as his wife spoke, knowing just what that monster had done to his beloved and that he hadn't been there to stop it.

"At any rate we have to track down the wand and put a stop to whatever these maniacs have planned" Star ordered. "We'll be sending troops into the former Helios territories, with the Lucitor's permission?" she questioned to the couple sat beside her. Tom smiled and nodded "You have it, the sooner we track them down the better, I'll have the garrisons put on high alert for anything suspicious" he answered her, receiving a nod in response.

Marco took over at this point, directing his gaze to the high commission. "Omni and Rhombulus, you two search key magic locations; with special emphasis on the Magic Sanctuary and the Royal Archives, if they took the wand then it's likely they'd need some way of using it properly" he ordered to which the commission members nodded in agreement. "Finally, Hekapoo..." Marco paused, looking over those in the room for a telltale flame or orange dress of Hekapoo. But was shocked to find nothing "...Where's Hekapoo?" he asked curiously, his eyebrow cocked in confusion.

The rest of the room looked around themselves, more low chatting and whispers filled the room as the attendees wondered just where the Scissor Enforcer was. It was extraordinarily unusual for her to miss a meeting, even if it was called very suddenly. "Maybe she overdid it a tad last night?" Eclipsa chimed in "If there's a mirror phone in here we could perhaps call her?" she suggested with a smile. Star nodded and looked towards one of the Junior officers stood in the corner of the room, jotting down the notes from the meeting furiously in a small notebook.

"Contact Hekapoo immediately" Star ordered the junior officer who nodded and turned to a diamond shaped mirror in the far corner of the room. The mirror phone rang for a few minutes and then cut to a blank screen as the call failed. Everyone in the room eyed each other nervously until Marco sighed "I know Hekapoo's dimension better than most, I'll go see if she's okay" he said, in the back of his mind assuming she must've really overdone it at the wedding and was passed out somewhere in her home.

Star nodded "Okay, Marco you go and find Hekapoo, the rest of you all know what you need to do" she affirmed to a room of nods and mumbles of approval. "Now let's find the wand, Meeting adjourned".

**A/N: Hekapoo is at the Mercy of Helvete and it seems she doesn't have long to live. Meanwhile Mewni goes into mayhem as the search for the wand begins, what will they do when they learn about Hekapoo's disappearance? Until next time guys :)**


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